China's military said it conducted combat alert patrols and military drills in the waters and airspace around Taiwan on Monday, a day after the arrival of a US congressional delegation to Taipei.
The unannounced two-day trip came after Beijing sent warships, missiles, and jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that China’s leaders claim and have vowed to one day seize.
The five-member congressional delegation — led by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts — met with President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday, according to Washington’s de facto embassy.
“The delegation had an opportunity to exchange views with Taiwan counterparts on a wide range of issues of importance to both the United States and Taiwan,” it said.
The US delegation’s trip, which came on the heels of a trip from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month, sparked a caustic response from Beijing, which said it had carried out “combat readiness patrol and combat drills in the sea and airspace around Taiwan island” on Monday.
The exercises are "a solemn response to political plays by the US and Taiwan that are undermining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait," Senior Col. Shi Yi, spokesman for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command was quoted as saying on the command's official Weibo account. "We will take all necessary measures and resolutely defend national sovereignty and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait."
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said 30 Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes and five vessels were detected in the Taiwan Strait on Monday.
Pelosi's visit, the first from a sitting speaker in 25 years, angered Beijing, which responded by launching significant multi-day military exercises around Taiwan.
The unannounced two-day trip came after Beijing sent warships, missiles, and jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that China’s leaders claim and have vowed to one day seize.
The five-member congressional delegation — led by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts — met with President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday, according to Washington’s de facto embassy.
“The delegation had an opportunity to exchange views with Taiwan counterparts on a wide range of issues of importance to both the United States and Taiwan,” it said.
The US delegation’s trip, which came on the heels of a trip from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month, sparked a caustic response from Beijing, which said it had carried out “combat readiness patrol and combat drills in the sea and airspace around Taiwan island” on Monday.
The exercises are "a solemn response to political plays by the US and Taiwan that are undermining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait," Senior Col. Shi Yi, spokesman for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command was quoted as saying on the command's official Weibo account. "We will take all necessary measures and resolutely defend national sovereignty and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait."
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said 30 Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes and five vessels were detected in the Taiwan Strait on Monday.
Pelosi's visit, the first from a sitting speaker in 25 years, angered Beijing, which responded by launching significant multi-day military exercises around Taiwan.
