Chinese military stated on Friday it will conduct drills around Taiwan today after United States lawmakers arrived in Taipei last night saying this visit has sent "wrong signals." Earlier, the US delegation expressed support for Taiwan, emphasizing Washington and Taipei don't seek conflict with China.
The six lawmakers met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen this morning and are due to meet with the country's defense minister later today. "It is a country of global significance (...) therefore it should be understood the security of Taiwan has a global impact," said Head of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee Robert Menendez praising Taipei's democracy and being the top producer of semiconductor chips around the world.
During a press conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated that this action violates Chinese policy, and called on the US to abide by the Washington-Beijing agreement, warning of strong measures to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. Previously, China denounced the visit of the US delegation to Taiwan, saying it would "severely impact relations" between Beijing and Washington.
