China warns US of heavy price if it pressures 'Taiwan independence'

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The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that the United States has inflated the passage of its warships through the Taiwan Strait.

"The Chinese people are firmly determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a media briefing when asked about the American official's visit.

"The attempt by the US to show support to Taiwan will be in vain no matter who it sent. China urges the US to abide by the one-China principle," he said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's statement came in response to a visit by a delegation of former US officials to Taipei on Tuesday, which is seen as a move by President Joe Biden to reassure the island's people after Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

Moreover, the American newspaper Newsweek reported that observers around the world were quick to predict that Chinese President Xi Jinping will soon try to follow Russia's lead against Taiwan.

Biden's delegation to Taiwan is led by Mike Mullen, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, accompanied by former senior defense officials Megan O'Sullivan and Michelle Flournoy, as well as former national security advisors Mike Green and Evan Medeiros.

The delegation is scheduled to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, her national security staff, and Defense Minister Chiu Kucheng on Wednesday.