Senior United States senators visited Taiwan on Friday to deliver a message of support for the island nation, which triggered China to showcase its military power.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was among the delegation members that warned Beijing that the US would begin to sanction China for bullying Taiwan and backing Russian President Vladimir Putin in his move to attack Ukraine.
In a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Graham promised that the US would make China "pay a greater price for what they are doing worldwide," according to a BBC report.
"The support for Putin must come with a price. The never-ending cyberattack on your economy and people by the Communist Chinese needs to come with a price," the lawmaker said.
Senator Graham also informed the Taiwanese leader that the war in Ukraine and China's provocative conduct had unified US opinion in a way that had never been seen before. He noted that there is a growing "backlash" in the world against "the bad guys."
"To abandon Taiwan would be to abandon democracy and freedom," he said.
Honored to be in #Taiwan where freedom reigns.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 14, 2022
The courageous people of Taiwan 🇹🇼 are great allies of the United States 🇺🇸 and a beacon of freedom in a troubled region. https://t.co/MjzLmJ2jJW
Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the digital powerhouse a nation of "global significance."
The Russia-Ukraine war has fueled fears that China may carry out its long-standing threat to annex Taiwan by force. The events in Ukraine have also shattered faith in the ability of world powers to prevent a similar crisis from occurring on the island.
In a previously undisclosed trip, the bipartisan group of six senators arrived for their two-day visit on Thursday.
China Responds With Military Drills
On Friday, China said it conducted military drills surrounding Taiwan in response to the US Congressional delegation on the island, Reuters reported.
Beijing blamed the group of lawmakers for escalating tensions with their "provocative" trip.
The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command stated in a statement released-- while senators held a press conference in Taipei-- China's military has deployed frigates, bombers, and fighter jets to the East China Sea and the area around Taiwan.
The statement said that China's military operation was " in response to the recent frequent release of wrong signals by the United States on the Taiwan issue." But it doesn't mention the visiting US delegation.
"The US bad actions and tricks are completely futile and very dangerous. Those who play with fire will burn themselves," it added.
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Beijing: US Visit Could Lead to Further Escalation
China's Defence Ministry, in a separate statement, said the US visit was "deliberately provocative" and had "led to further escalation of tension in the Taiwan Strait."
The Taiwan issue is a point of contention between Beijing and Washington oftentimes.
Beijing objects to the term "Taiwan" being used on the international stage and opposes any country having diplomatic ties with the democratic island, as per Al Jazeera.
The US has no diplomatic connections with Taiwan, which China claims, but it is its major international backer and weaponry supplier.
During a visit to Taiwan last month, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo angered Beijing by saying that the US should diplomatically acknowledge Taiwan as "a free and sovereign country."
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