Nikki Haley says China’s ‘temper tantrum’ won’t dictate US foreign policy as Pelosi touches down in Taiwan

EXCLUSIVE: Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley is hitting back at China’s “temper tantrum,” saying Beijing will not dictate United States foreign policy, as the country threatened retaliation for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.

“As China ups its aggression, America needs to show that we won’t let Beijing’s temper tantrum dictate our foreign policy,” Haley told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement as Pelosi’s plane touched down in Taiwan Tuesday morning.

“The Taiwanese are free people who must not be trampled by the Chinese communists,” Haley continued.

Pelosi, who is conducting an extensive tour of multiple allied nations in Asia, has finally touched down in Taiwan despite repeated threats to the speaker’s safety. Her plane landed in Taiwan at approximately 10:45 am ET.

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The speaker said in a Washington Post op-ed that she traveled to Taiwan because “We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan — and democracy itself.”

“By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan — and all democracies — must be respected,” she wrote in the op-ed published after her plane landed.

Pelosi is the first House speaker to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997, and the Taiwanese government has been eager to host the speaker. Diplomatic trips of this level could serve to provide Taiwan legitimacy on the world stage.

The People’s Republic of China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, the relatively narrow strip of ocean between the island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The Chinese military has frequently sent planes into the area, testing Taiwan’s air defense zone.

The U.S. does not have official relations with Taiwan — also known as the Republic of China — and maintains a One China Policy that recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the legitimate successor nation. The U.S. does not have an official position on whether it would defend Taiwan in case of an attack by China.

Haley has maintained a tough-on-China stance throughout her career, especially as ambassador to the United Nations. 

She told Fox News Digital at the Christians United for Israel Summit in July that President Biden must “start showing strength” toward enemies of the U.S., including China. 

“We’ve got to stop. We’ve got to start being strong again. We’ve got to start showing strength with our allies. We’ve got to start showing strength with our enemies. And I just don’t think he did that,” Haley said during an interview with Fox News.

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“The biggest thing the Biden administration can do is wake up, wake up to the fact that China is our number one national security threat,” she said.

“We’ve got to be smart to them, and we haven’t done that. They said they would take Hong Kong. They did it. They’ve said that Taiwan belongs to them. We should believe them. We need to get in front of this, and we need to stop it.”

“When America is distracted, the world is less safe. And that is all played out. China and Russia are eating our lunch because we’re not paying attention. The biggest thing we can do is wake up, get strong and start leading again. When we do that, the world will be safer,” said Haley.

Fox News’ Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.