Chinese planes, ships conduct simulated attacks on Taiwan, Taipei official says

China’s foreign ministry said it was also suspending exchanges to combat cross-border crime and drug trafficking. The US called the response “irresponsible”.

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The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said on Friday it conducted air and sea exercises north, southwest and east of Taiwan to test the unit’s “joint combat capabilities.”

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington repeatedly made it clear to Beijing that it was not seeking a crisis over Ms Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

“This extreme, disproportionate and escalating military response cannot be justified,” he said at a press conference on the sidelines of a regional conference in Cambodia.

“Now they’ve taken risky behavior to a new level.”

Brinken stressed that the United States would not take any action that would cause a crisis, but would support allies and implement standard air and sea transportation through the Taiwan Strait.

“We will fly, sail and operate as long as international law allows,” he said.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Chinese officials had not responded to phone calls from senior Pentagon officials this week, but this was more likely due to a severing of channels between senior defense officials, including the United States. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was also seen as showing displeasure with Pelosi’s visit.

“I heard that US Secretary of State Brinken held a press conference to spread some false information and not tell the truth,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on Friday.

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“We want to warn the United States: do not act hastily, do not create a greater crisis,” Wang said.

Jin Kuan, a senior Chinese embassy official in Washington, said at the briefing, “The only way out of this crisis is for the U.S. side to right its wrongs and take immediate steps to eliminate the serious consequences of Pelosi’s visit.” It’s a must,” he said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby countered that it was “fundamentally irresponsible” for China to shut down some communication channels.

“There is nothing for the United States to rectify. China simply needs to stop these provocative military exercises and end its rhetoric, which will go a long way in de-escalating tensions,” Kirby told reporters.

China has made no mention of suspending military talks at the highest levels, including Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley. These talks are rare, but officials say it’s important to have them in case of emergency.

Kirby said it is not uncommon for China to shut down military talks during times of tension, but that “all channels” between military leaders have not been cut off.

Severing communication links risks an accidental escalation of tensions, according to security analysts, diplomats and US officials.

“Part of this overreaction is severely restricting defense activity at a time when responsible nations perceive it is most needed right now,” said Todd Breasseale, acting Pentagon spokesman. Stated.

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Speaking in Japan after meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Pelosi said her visit to Asia “does not change the status quo in Taiwan or the region.”

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has reported that an unprecedented four missiles flew over Taiwan’s capital. It also said that five of the nine missiles launched into its territory landed in its exclusive economic zone, also for the first time, and sparked diplomatic protests.

Taiwan has been self-governing since Mao Zedong’s communists came to power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalists in a civil war in 1949, prompting a retreat to the island.

Beijing said its relationship with Taiwan is a domestic matter and it reserves the right to bring the island under Chinese control by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects China’s claims that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.