Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency, is the highest-ranking American government official to visit Taiwan in a quarter-century. The United States “will not seek and does not want a crisis,” he said. For the island’s residents, Pelosi’s visit was clearly significant and hardly a run-of-the-mill event. “Pelosi’s visit now has a very different meaning,” said Chu Shulong, professor of political science and international relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, comparing it with Gingrich’s visit. “For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have traveled to Taiwan,” the statement said.