For Pelosi's Taiwan Visit, China Warns Of "Grave Consequences"

Taiwan's foreign ministry has stayed silent so far, declining to confirm Nancy Pelosi's visit again on Tuesday.

Even as Taiwan becomes the center of a showdown between two of the world's greatest superpowers over a landmark visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, locals are showing little alarm, reacting to threats from China with their usual sangfroid. C'mon everyone... pic.twitter.com/FMUGuvwnyY To my knowledge, at least five Taiwanese commentators and politicians are gifting more than 300 bags of Taiwanese fried chicken chop for free on the street because they won/lost the bet on whether Pelosi will come or not.It's a win-win tradition and should be treasured.

Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory, has promised "grave consequences" for the visit by the highest-ranking US official in a quarter century. While that has prompted global speculation over the possible forms of retaliation, such rhetoric and the specter of military conflict have become part of daily life in Taiwan.

"I didn't even know about the news that she's coming, my news feed didn't push this to me," said Wei Chen, a 25-year-old cafe worker, said on Tuesday morning. "China has been sending out these kind of 'warnings' pretty often and nothing has happened."

The visit by Pelosi is splashed across the front pages of about half of Taiwan's major newspapers, after days of a relatively muted coverage. Liberty Times reported that she is expected to arrive Tuesday at 10:20 p.m. local time.