TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday (July 26) said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would hand China a "victory" if she backs out on plans to visit Taiwan next month.

At a Senate Republican leadership news conference on Tuesday, McConnell addressed the "flap over the Speaker's travel plans" and emphasized that what is more important than traveling to Taiwan is to make sure the country's defenses are "adequate to the threat that may come from mainland China." He then expressed his opinion that the U.S. should "refocus on what kind of military equipment they have, is it the right kind, and if not, working with them to make sure they actually have weapons that will deter the Chinese in case there is such an attack."

When the briefing was opened up to questions from the press, McConnell was asked about Pelosi's trip to Taiwan amid threats of "forceful measures" if she goes through with the visit. McConnell responded by saying, “If she doesn’t go now, she’s handing China a sort of a victory of sorts."