China launches new military drills near Taiwan after visit by U.S. delegation

August 15, 2022 Sophia Flores US 0

FILE – In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, air force and naval aviation corps of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fly planes at an unspecified location in China, Aug. 4, 2022. The Chinese air force is sending fighter jets and bombers to Thailand for a joint exercise with the Thai military on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. (Fu Gan/Xinhua via AP, File)

OAN Newsroom
Updated 3:40 PM PT – Monday, August 15, 2022

China launched more military drills near the Taiwan Strait in response to a delegation of U.S. lawmakers visiting Taiwan.

On Monday, the Chinese military confirmed that they had coordinated multi-service joint combat readiness exercises and other combat drills. The exercises involved the Chinese Navy and Air Force.

Top officials in the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) claimed the U.S. delegation, led by Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), came to the island nation sneakily and in violation of China’s territorial integrity. Wang Webin, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China, spoke on the topic.

“China will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. A few U.S. politicians connive with the separatist forces of Taiwan independence and attempt to challenge the one-China principle,” Webin stated. “This goes beyond their own abilities and is doomed to failure.”

In the meantime, Sen. Markey stressed that the goal of his trip was to promote peace across the Taiwan Strait with America’s allies.

I’m traveling to Taiwan with a bipartisan congressional delegation to reaffirm US support for Taiwan and encourage stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait. https://t.co/SAnXwuHKe2

— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) August 14, 2022

Additionally, the Biden administration has maintained its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act, which treats Taiwan as a territory of China. The Act allows for separate diplomatic and military partnerships.