Chinese FM slams US provocative acts on Taiwan as "planned farce"
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accuses the US of committing provocative acts in Taiwan, describing the recent visit as a "well-planned farce."
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Chinese MoFA slams US Provocative acts on Taiwan as "planned farce."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that the provocative activities taken by the United States with respect to the Taiwan dispute are not an accident but rather a carefully thought-out farce.
"The provocative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue are not accidental, this is a carefully planned farce, it has exposed its true ugly face," the minister said at a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh.
The Minister further stated that Washington's intentions to use Taiwan as a means of Chinese containment will fail and have no effect on the island's unavoidable return to its country of origin.
In response to the US' provocative acts, China's largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan kicked off, after a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The exercises will take place in various zones surrounding Taiwan, including some within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the island's shore, and will conclude at midday on Sunday.
The drills include the “use of advanced weapons,” including state-of-the-art hypersonic DF-17 missiles, as per China’s Global Times newspaper.
Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets will be also used in the exercise.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan does not change Washington's adopted policy regarding Taiwan.
During a press briefing, Jean-Pierre told reporters that "there's no reason for Beijing to turn this visit, which is consistent with long-standing US policy, into some sort of crisis."
The Press Secretary said, "We have been very clear there's no change in our one-China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979."
China vows 'resonating' response
It is noteworthy that Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday after a historic visit during which she met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and a number of officials in Taipei, which led to further escalation of tensions between Washington and Beijing.
China condemned Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, as it is a delicate matter at the core of Chinese-American relations, calling their move a "very dangerous act of playing with fire."
Read next: Pelosi pledges US support for Taiwan, China vows 'resonating' response
Pelosi’s trip is considered the first visit of a Speaker of the US House of Representatives to the island of Taiwan in 25 years – much to China's discontent.
Warnings between Beijing and Washington have been consistent, starting shortly before Pelosi’s arrival, with Beijing cautioning Washington that if Pelosi paid a trip to Taiwan, it would generate repercussions and China would resort to drastic measures.
