House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed China's reaction to her recent trip to Taiwan during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Tuesday, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping was acting "like a scared bully."
Why it matters: China, which warned of a "strong and resolute" response ahead of the visit, began carrying out military drills near Taiwan in an apparent show of force following Pelosi's visit.
What they're saying: "I don't think the president of China should control the schedules of members of Congress or anyone else who wants to visit Taiwan," Pelosi said.
"He's trying to isolate Taiwan. ... We will not be accomplices to his isolation of Taiwan," she added of Xi.
"I think that he is in a fragile place. He has problems with his economy. He is acting like a scared bully," she added, noting that Xi will soon be up for re-election later this year.
"We were not going to take Taiwan off our list because of the president of Taiwan has invited us, the president of China does not do our schedule," Pelosi said of the trip's itinerary.
