San Francisco:Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco on Tuesday. This marks their first meeting since Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in 2022.
According to Focus Taiwan, the meeting took place at the hotel where Tsai was staying during her visit to the city. Following the meeting, Pelosi praised Tsai on social media, calling her a "courageous champion of democracy" and "a dear friend of America." She emphasized the strong bond between the United States and Taiwan, highlighting Congress' ongoing commitment to the Taiwanese people and their freedom.
Tsai recalled their last meeting in Taiwan in 2022 when she awarded Pelosi with the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon to honor Pelosi's contributions to Taiwan-U.S. relations. Tsai described Pelosi as a consistent friend of Taiwan, regardless of international changes.
During this visit, Tsai presented Pelosi with a silk scarf designed by Chien Chun-yuan, a rising Taiwanese designer. The scarf's design was inspired by the ocean and coral, symbolizing Taiwan's beauty and creativity as a maritime nation.
Tsai arrived in San Francisco on Monday for a weeklong visit to the United States. She is set to deliver the opening keynote at Stanford DEFCON's 2026 Technology and National Security Conference on Wednesday. This trip is Tsai's first visit to the U.S. since leaving office in May 2024, after serving two terms as president.
Their previous meeting in Taiwan had significant geopolitical repercussions. Pelosi's visit led to China's large-scale military drills around Taiwan, escalating tensions, as China claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out using force for unification.
