Pelosi has landed in Taiwan. Here's why that's a big deal

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., landed in Taiwan late Tuesday evening local time, and she is expected to meet members of Taiwan's legislature and President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with planning for her visit.

The highly-anticipated stop has faced stark warnings from China, in turn worrying the White House that it could trigger a crisis in the Taiwan Strait and worsen already tense U.S.-China relations. China sent two Su-35 fighter jets across the Taiwan strait ahead of Pelosi's arrival, according to state broadcaster CCTV, and the spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry said on Twitter, "The US & Taiwan have made provocations together first, whereas China has been compelled to act in self-defense."

The visit was not announced in advance, and it comes as part of Pelosi's , including Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, where she has been leading a small congressional delegation. She is the highest-ranking elected American official to