US congressional delegation led by Nancy Pelosi, arrives in Malaysia

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KUALA LUMPUR - US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her congressional delegation arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday (Aug 2) as part of the second-leg of their Indo-Pacific tour.

National news agency Bernama reported that a special aircraft carrying Mrs Pelosi and her entourage touched down at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang at 10.33am, amid tight security.

Upon arrival, Mrs Pelosi - who was clad in a pink suit - and her delegation were greeted by the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon.

The US Ambassador to Malaysia Brian D. McFeeters was also present.

Mrs Pelosi and her delegation later paid a courtesy call to Parliament speaker Azhar Azizan Harun at the Parliament building. 

She also had a luncheon meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

AFP journalists saw Mrs Pelosi coming out of a hotel in the Malaysian capital and entering an SUV. Her motorcade then departed under heavy security.

This is Mrs Pelosi's first visit to Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur is Mrs Pelosi's second stop after Singapore where she and her delegation called on President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday.

Mrs Pelosi is also scheduled to visit South Korea and Japan but her tour is closely watched if she will go to Taiwan as well.

US Speaker of House Nancy Pelosi and her counterpart Azhar Azizan Harun at the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, on Aug 2, 2022. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

The media has been reporting that she was set to visit Taiwan later on Tuesday as China warned that its military would never "sit idly by" if she were to visit the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.

One of the newspapers, Taiwan's Liberty Times, said Mrs Pelosi was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday night and visit Taiwan's Parliament on Wednesday morning.

The Financial Times said she would meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in Taipei.

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