Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday endorsed Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) recent visit to Taiwan.
“I do think that Nancy Pelosi was right to go to Taiwan,” Haley told “Fox News Sunday” guest anchor Mike Emanuel.
“It’s a shame that [President] Biden tried to put a wrench in it by saying the military didn’t want her to go,” Haley added.
Haley’s criticism comes as she is rumored to be planning a 2024 presidential run, potentially setting up a challenge to Biden.
Pelosi visited the self-governing island last week, angering Beijing, which views Taiwan as a part of China.
In the lead up to the trip, Biden told reporters the military “thinks it’s not a good idea” for Pelosi to visit Taiwan amid already rising tensions over the island’s status. The situation has been further complicated as the Biden administration has urged China not to back Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After Pelosi landed in Taiwan, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years, White House national security spokesman John Kirby denied there was a “public spat” between her and the White House.
The Biden administration condemned Beijing’s live-fire drills in the waters surrounding Taiwan following Pelosi’s visit, which included multiple Chinese warships and aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Taipei warned the drills were a simulation of a potential future attack on the island.
“China is trying to bully us the same way they try and bully their own people, and we shouldn’t have it,” Haley said on Sunday.
Pelosi and the Biden administration have said they respect the longstanding “One China” policy that acknowledges Beijing’s claims to Taiwan, while also vowing to maintain U.S. commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act, in which the U.S. committed to help protect the island.
“We should always have the backs of our allies and we should always hold our enemies to account,” Haley told Emanuel. “They are a huge force when it comes to our economy, and we need to make sure that Taiwan knows that we’re going to be there for them.”