House Speaker Pelosi arrives in Taiwan, despite warnings from China

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plane landed in Taipei on Tuesday, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years amid heightened tensions in the region. 

Pelosi was warned against visiting the small island nation by the Chinese Communist Party and the Biden administration.

Taiwan was not listed on her official itinerary.

Whether Pelosi, a California Democrat and long-time China hawk, would visit Taiwan was for weeks a national guessing game.

Some argued she should not cave to China's threats, while others said the visit would jeopardize delicate, out-of-sight diplomatic relations.

Largely at issue is the so-called "One China" policy in which the U.S. recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole government of China and Taiwan. However, Washington has maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity, acknowledging Beijing’s claim to the island but not endorsing it.

Pelosi and a delegation of five other top-ranking Democrats plan on staying in Taipei overnight, according to CNN.