Despite the visit of US lawmakers, China intensified its military drills near Taiwan on Monday, August 15.
Taipei: China intensified its military drills in the vicinity of Taiwan on Monday. Incidentally, a group of US lawmakers has been on a visit to Taiwan, where they met President Tsai Ing-wen, in what Beijing said was an infringement of its sovereignty.
The five US lawmakers, led by Senator Ed Markey, landed in Taipei on Sunday on an unprepared visit. This is the second high-level group to visit Taiwan, after that of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August.
The Chinese military division in charge of the region next to Taiwan announced on Monday that it has organised multi-service joint combat readiness patrols and combat drills in the sea and airspace surrounding Taiwan.
According to the statement, the exercises serve as “a stern deterrent to the United States and Taiwan continuing to play political games and endanger peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
The lawmakers’ visit violated China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a second statement from the Chinese Defence Ministry, and “completely shows the true face of the United States as a destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Pelosi’s visit angered China, which responded with test launches of ballistic missiles over Taipei for the first time.
The latest group of U.S. lawmakers who were in Taiwan were due to meet Tsai on Monday morning. Her office has yet to comment on the meeting.
In fact, the United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but trying to play the role of a mediator.
