Armored vehicles of Taiwan’s military forces parade in front of Taiwan’s presidential palace on the country’s 110th birthday.
Alberto Buzzola | LightRocket | beautiful pictures
China’s military threats to Taiwan will only increase support for the island from the United States and other democracies, the State Department said after China conducted the drills nearby when US lawmakers visited Taipei.
Beijing blamed lawmakers, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, for raising tensions with their “provocative” trip. China claims to have democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory.
In a statement late Friday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry condemned China’s “stubborn and ridiculous” response to the two-day visitthe first by a group of US lawmakers this year.
Threatening force by the Chinese Communist Party’s totalitarian government against Taiwan will only strengthen the will of the Taiwanese people to defend freedom and democracy, and will draw support for Taiwan. Loan democracy from the United States and further democratic partners,” the report said.
Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the United States and other like-minded countries to protect the free and open Indo-Pacific region and prevent China’s “continuous expansion”. Country, the ministry said.
Senator Ben Sasse, one of six bipartisan lawmakers who visited Taiwan and met with President Tsai Ing-wen, said in a statement that China cannot bully the United States or its elected representatives. surname.
“The American people do not love tyrants and instead support the people of Taiwan who instinctively love freedom,” he said.
Taiwan has been welcomed by the US support provided by the Biden administration, which has repeatedly spoken of its “unwavering” commitment to the democratically governed island.
While the United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is the island’s most important supplier of weapons and international support. That has increased tensions in Sino-US relations.
Taiwan’s government says only the island’s 23 million people can decide their future.
In a pre-recorded video message sent to a forum hosted by Taiwan independence groups on Saturday, Tsai said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed the threat that democracies face from authoritarianism.
“Taiwan’s position is to uphold its sovereignty, uphold democracy, stand with like-minded countries, support each other, and contribute our energies,” she said.
