China doubles down on its warnings; vows to respond to US army drills in Taiwan Strait

A day after the United States confirmed its intention to continue military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, China reacted strongly and warned it will respond to the ongoing "US aggression". Taking to Twitter, China's Ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, urged his American colleagues to restrain from conducting any military exercise with Taiwan and added it would only escalate tension between the two countries. 

"We noted that the US military said they would have a military exercise or navigation again," Qin wrote on Twitter. "I do call on American colleagues to exercise restraint, not to do anything to escalate the tension. If there's any move damaging China's territorial integrity and sovereignty, we will respond," he added.

Further, he mentioned that China would resume the suspended actions on climate change, drug trafficking, regional security and military coordination once the US rectifies its "behaviour". "To resume the suspended cooperation, I want to see the United States think about its own behaviour toward Taiwan, reflect on what the true one-China principle is, and refrain from doing anything more to escalate the tension," Gang said.

According to the Chinese diplomat, strategic stability is not only about the military, but also about the political foundation. He compared the relationship between the two countries to a house. "For this house to be firm & stable, we need a solid foundation. The same theory applies to state-to-state relations. So what is the foundation of China-US relations? The one-China principle and the stipulations of three joint communique," he noted. 

US-China tensions deteriorate after Nancy Pelosi's visit

It is essential to note here that the Chinese government had warned Taiwan of a dramatic situation for allowing US Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taipei. It sent 27 aircraft to Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) hours after Pelosi's plane left Taipei after she spent nearly 18 hours on the island claimed by Beijing as its own. Also, China fired “precision missiles” in waters off Taiwan’s coasts as part of military exercises.

Earlier last week, the United States called the Chinese action against Taiwan both "irresponsible" and an attempt to change the "status quo". Citing a White House spokesperson, The Guardian reported the US dubbed Chinese activities a significant effort to escalate tension and an attempt to change the status quo.

Image: AP