Has-been former majority leader in the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, it will be recalled, famously travelled to Taiwan in 2022 in a provocation against China, supporting then President and head of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen and her only-barely covered-up support for Taiwan independence. China’s response was immediate, conducting naval exercises around Taiwan and strongly reiterating its position that there is only one China, including the island of Taiwan, and that reunification of the nation was inevitable—by military means if necessary.

This past week, Tsai Ing-wen, whose presidency ended in 2024, launched a week-long visit to the U.S., starting off with a visit to her “lao peng-you” (old friend) Nancy Pelosi, who declared that the “bond” between the US and the Taiwan region is “strong,” as reported in Global Times. This time, the Chinese response was to make fun of both of them.

Global Times notes that “with Taiwan’s local elections approaching in November, Tsai is attempting to invoke Pelosi’s provocative 2022 visit, showcasing the so-called ‘achievements’ of relying on the US to seek ‘Taiwan independence.’ She aims to revive public memories of her political legacy, and carve out space in the election narrative. For Pelosi, who has been marginalized in US politics, her previous visit to Taiwan was considered a defining episode of her political career. Thus, the meeting offers her another platform to reassert a political role from the past.”

But China’s firm response to Pelosi’s earlier ploy had prevented the hoped-for U.S.-Taiwan cooperation to declare independence. Now, they report, the recent friendly meeting between presidents Trump and Xi Jinping has put relations on a new track—at least for now: “Following the China-US summit in September, the two heads of state agreed to build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity, sending a clear signal that Beijing and Washington are seeking to put guardrails around competition and preserve channels of communication amid differences.”

They add: “A recent Taiwan poll found that 60 percent of respondents on the island had no confidence in the US ‘protecting’ Taiwan’s interests, while only about one-quarter expressed confidence. The findings underscore the declining credibility of the narrative long promoted by the DPP authorities.”