UNITED States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who dragged China-US diplomatic relations into unprecedented danger after a provocative visit to the island of Taiwan in August, has announced that she will not seek the Democratic leadership again after Republicans secured control of the chamber.

However, Chinese observers believe that at the age of 82 and having led Democrats for two decades, Pelosi will continue to have an influence in the US Congress as a lawmaker. With her image as 'a radical', Pelosi's stepping down will not end, but rather open another chapter of US' polarized politics trapped in bitter partisan struggles, they said.