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Taiwan held large-scale air strike drills on Monday after China doubled down on warnings to the US not to allow House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit the island.
Pelosi defended her planned trip to the island, a region China has long claimed as its sovereign territory. China’s foreign ministry doubled down on warnings that the trip could have “serious consequences” for the US
“The Chinese side has made it clear to the US on many occasions that it strongly opposes Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. We are fully prepared,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday.
“If the US has its way, China will certainly take firm and decisive measures to protect its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the United States must be held accountable for any serious consequences,” he added.
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian takes questions during a daily news conference in Beijing, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Liu Zheng)
Meanwhile, Taiwan has stepped up precautions against potential military action by China, holding air strike drills across the country. In Taipei, the nation’s capital, sirens sounded, signaling residents to evacuate the streets for 30 minutes.
TAIWANESE FLIGHTS FIRE AS CHINESE AIR FORCE ENTERS DEFENSE ZONE
The country is also testing its missile warning system, which sends mass text messages to residents in case of impending attacks.
High-ranking American delegations have regularly visited Taiwan over the past year as tensions between the US and China have escalated. Six US congressmen made a surprise visit to the island in April, representing the highest-ranking US officials ever to visit Taiwan.
The bipartisan group included Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Rob Portman of Ohio, Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, Richard Burr, Rob Portman and Ben Sasse and Congressman Ronny Jackson are greeted upon their arrival in Taiwan, April 14, 2022. (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
China issued a similar condemnation of their trip, with the foreign ministry saying it “firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Chinese region of Taiwan”.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also visited the island in late April, announcing a new partnership between the U.S. National Guard and the Taiwan Defense Forces.
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Regardless, Pelosi’s position as Speaker of the House will make her among the highest-ranking officials ever to make a diplomatic visit to the island. No House Speaker has visited Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997.
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