China conducted “actual combat exercises” in the Taiwan Strait as a senior American diplomat visited Taipei, drawing a contemptuous response from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“We sent the delegation to a funeral, and the Chinese have apparently responded by military blustering,” Pompeo told reporters while traveling in Guyana. “I’ll leave it at that.”
A contingent of 18 warplanes sallied into Taiwan’s air defense zone earlier Friday, including two bombers and 16 fighter jets, according to Taiwanese defense officials. That show of force was intended as a rebuke of Pompeo’s decision to send State Department Undersecretary Keith Krach to Taipei, where he is attending a memorial service for the late Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui.
“This is a legitimate and necessary action taken to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait,” Chinese defense ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang told reporters.
Krach is the second high-level American official to visit Taiwan in the last six weeks, following Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s recent coronavirus-related huddle in Taipei. “It’s altogether unsurprising that the Chinese have chosen to react this way, but in the end, I mean, keeping Taiwan security is these high-level engagements,” said an official familiar with U.S.-Taiwan interactions who is not authorized to speak publicly.
The sorties are regarded as a political statement more than a sign of any impending military confrontation. “The biggest worry really is accidents,” the official said.
Taiwanese officials urged Beijing not to “heighten conflicts” between the two sides. “We hope the other side can exercise restraint and not … heighten conflicts between the two sides,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said. “These military intimidations have caused resentment among the Taiwanese people.”
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, the last bastion of the government overthrown during the communist revolution of 1949, but the mainland regime hasn’t controlled the island in the decades since.
“Recently, the U.S. and the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stepped up their relationship and frequently caused incidents,” the Chinese defense ministry spokesman said, referring to the political party of the Taiwanese ruling authorities. “No matter whether the aim is to counter China or raise the DPP’s status, it is wishful thinking and is destined to be a dead end.”
