Despite not confirming visit, US speaker of the House expected to land Tuesday evening in Taipei on highest-level visit in 25 years as China warns of severe repercussions

National Security Council spokesman warns Beijing may be 'positioning' for show of military strength; speaker slated to become most senior US official to visit Taipei in decades

US House speaker has not confirmed her stop in disputed island claimed by China; Beijing has warned Biden not to 'play with fire' over issue

China's leader affirms country's sovereignty over island, while US president reiterates opposition to any unilateral move aimed at unraveling status quo and peace in the region

US military to 'ensure a safe conduct' for House speaker's potential trip, which would mark the highest-ranking visit by a US elected official to the Pacific country since 1997

Scheduled talk will be the first between Biden and Xi in four months, expected to cover a range of issues; China warns of a severe response if House speaker travels to Taiwan

Beijing also demands US cancel $108 million arms sale to Taiwan, which would boost self-governing island's resilience against powerful People's Liberation Army

Dating back to the nationalist Kuomintang government era, the pastime is still beloved by many Taiwanese of a certain age - and Hebrew classics make up a big part of the repertoire

US president compares potential actions to Russian invasion of Ukraine in light of Beijing's increased military provocation against democratic island

Recent diplomatic maneuvering signals growing realization that America's interest is moving elsewhere and now is the time for negotiations that were unthinkable just a year ago