Who is Nancy Pelosi and why is she in news over Taiwan visit?

There is a lot of buzz in geopolitical circles over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, with China issuing threats to the United States.

Pelosi is the first House Speaker since 1997 to visit the island country, which China claims as its own territory and vows to take over by force, if necessary. The last House Speaker to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997.

Her visit has drawn condemnation not only from the Chinese government, but also from Moscow, which denounced it as a provocation, expressing full solidarity with ally China.

Read | Chinese warplanes buzz Taiwan Strait dividing line ahead of Nancy Pelosi visit

Pelosi is the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House.

Pelosi has been the chief architect of key legislations under two Democratic administrations, including the Affordable Care Act under the Barack Obama administration and the American Rescue Plan under Biden's.

Read | How China could hit back over Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

Ahead of her visit to Taiwan, China warned that if Pelosi set foot in the country, United States will "pay the price".

"The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China's sovereign security interests," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

In a call with US President Joe Biden last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the United States against "playing with fire" on Taiwan.

Pelosi had visited Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday as part of her Asia trip, where she met Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. Her itinerary includes stops in South Korea and Japan -- but the prospect of a Taiwan trip has dominated attention.