China confirms further countermeasures in response to US delegation's visit to Taiwan

In a recent development, China on Monday confirmed of taking countermeasures in response to the US lawmakers' current visit to Taiwan. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US, Liu Pengyu stated that China vehemently rejects any official connections between the US and Taiwan. "To defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity, to uphold the basic norm in international relations of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, China will take resolute countermeasures in response to the US’s provocations," he tweeted. The statements by the Chinese spokesperson came a day after a five-member US delegation led by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts reached Taiwan on Sunday, August 14. 

Notably, their visit comes just 12 days after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei on August 2, which was also strongly condemned by the Chinese government. According to Chinese media reports, the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) Eastern Theatre also launched a multi-service joint combat preparedness and actual combat drills on Monday in the waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan island. A spokesperson of the Chinese Army stated that the measures have been taken as a deterrence move against the US and Taiwan, who are "undermining stability across the Taiwan Strait".

Chinese Defence Ministry condemns US delegation's visit to Taiwan

Meanwhile, the Chinese Defence Ministry denounced the US delegation's visit to Taiwan as a violation of Beijing's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "This visit seriously violates the 'One China' principle and the provisions of the three joint China-US communique and also violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. It sends the wrong signal to separatist forces advocating Taiwan's independence, and completely exposes the face of the United States as the destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," the official MoD spokesperson Wu Qian said in a statement, Sputnik reported. 

Further, the Chinese ambassador to ASEAN, Deng Xijun accused the US of creating instability across the Taiwan Straits. The fresh visit led by Senator Ed Markey once again proves that the US does not want to see stability across the Taiwan Straits & has spared no effort to stir up a confrontation btw the two sides & interfere in China's internal affairs [sic]," he wrote on Twitter. 

Taiwan hails US delegation's visit

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Foreign Affairs Ministry hailed the US delegation for paying a visit to Taipei despite the Chinese threat. "Authoritarian China can't dictate how democratic Taiwan makes friends, wins support, stays resilient & shines like a beacon of freedom," the ministry wrote on Twitter. Notably, The Chinese administration has often objected to the US intervention in the Taiwan issue, as Beijing considers the island as part of its territory.

Image: AP/Twitter/@MOFA_Taiwan