MOSCOW: The United States may sign a trade agreement with Taiwan in the near future, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday.
"We talked about a trade agreement that might be possible and soon," Pelosi said at a joint press conference with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Sputnik reported.
When asked about what tangible economic benefits will be promised to Taiwan to offset the cost of her trip that the island will have to suffer in its relation with China, Pelosi said that the United States has just passed the CHIPS and Science Act which will entail better economic exchanges in semiconductor production.
Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday as part of a congressional delegation's tour of the Indo-Pacific region, brushing aside private warnings from the Biden administration about the risk that her high-profile diplomatic visit could bring and drawing a sharp response from the Chinese government.
Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the self-governed island, strongly condemned Pelosi's visit. Upon the US official's arrival in Taipei, China launched a series of military exercises near Taiwan and ordered restrictions to navigation in parts of the South China Sea. -- BERNAMA