Pelosi departs Taiwan after visit that fueled US-China rift

Pelosi waving with other members of the delegation as they board a plane before leaving Taipei Songshan Airport, in Taipei. - Reuters

TAIPEI (AP): US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan after a visit that heightened tensions with China, saying that she and other members of Congress in her delegation showed they will not abandon their commitment to the self-governing island.

Pelosi, the first US speaker to visit the island in more than 25 years, courted Beijing's wrath with the visit and set off more than a week of debate over whether it was a good idea after news of it leaked. In Taipei, she remained calm but defiant.