Nancy Pelosi criticised for including son in Taiwan delegation
- Nancy Pelosi confirms that her son, Paul Pelosi Jnr, was her escort on trip, but that he had not conducted any business: ‘Of course he did not’
- Republicans decry his involvement after British tabloid Daily Mail reports his investment in a Beijing-based telecommunications company, Borqs Technologies
On August 3, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen for a joint press event following their meeting in Taipei.
“I’m proud of my delegation. We’re almost like one unit,” Pelosi said while introducing each Congressional representative who had accompanied her on the Taiwan visit, which had been opposed by Beijing and advised against by the Pentagon.
One entourage member whom Pelosi did not introduce: her son, Paul Pelosi Jnr.
Now Republicans, many of whom had supported her Taiwan trip, are decrying Pelosi for “secretly” taking a son, reportedly with “Chinese business links”, on a tour which they say was marketed as challenging China’s growing influence
RNC Research, a Republican National Committee Twitter account which says its mission is “exposing the lies, hypocrisy, and failed far-left policies of Joe Biden and the Democrat Party”, posted an “exclusive” article by the British tabloid Daily Mail alleging that Paul Jnr was one of the top investors in a Beijing-based telecommunications company, Borqs Technologies.
Borqs’ filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission from June 2021 show that Paul Jnr. acquired 700,000 shares of Broqs Technologies as part of an “employee benefit plan”. But his name does not appear among the company’s 10 major shareholders in an SEC filing submitted on May 2, 2022.
In an email to the South China Morning Post, Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said that the Republicans were “desperate to distract from an apparent investigation into the former defeated president”.