Pelosi departs Taiwan after visit that fuelled US-China rift

TAIPEI: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departed Taiwan on Wednesday after meeting with the president and other officials in a visit that heightened tensions with China.

Pelosi and five other members of Congress were headed to South Korea, the next stop on an Asia tour that also includes Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.

In Taiwan, she said her delegation was showing their commitment to the self-governing island that China claims and says must come under its control.

China staged military drills after her arrival and called her visit a provocation that infringes on its sovereignty.