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Taiwan sent fighter jets as 18 Chinese jets were launched on the island as they crossed the center of the sensitive Taiwan Strait, in response to a senior US official holding talks in the capital, Taipei.
Earlier, China announced combat exercises and condemned what it described as collusion between the island, which it considers part of its territory, and the United States.
Keith Crash, the US undersecretary of state, arrived in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit. He is the highest-ranking US State Department official to visit Taiwan in four decades, and China promised “the necessary response” to the visit.
The US State Department said: “Crash, who arrived in Taipei on Thursday afternoon, is visiting Taiwan to attend a memorial service on Saturday for former President Lee Tinghui, famous for the founder of the island’s democratic system. , which China considers part of it. “
But Beijing is following the close relationship between Taipei and Washington with growing concern, and has intensified military exercises near the island, including air and sea exercises it conducted over two days last week.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is leading the Trump administration’s media attack on China, described Beijing boldly when asked about Chinese activity.
“We sent a delegation to the funeral and it seems the Chinese responded with military bravado,” Pompeo was quoted as saying at a news conference.
For his part, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, Ren Guoqiang, said that “the exercises, about which he did not elaborate, are being carried out near the Taiwan Strait and the eastern command of the Chinese army is participating.”
“It is a logical and necessary measure aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and the protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese official added.
He added, “Taiwan is purely China’s internal affair and does not accept any foreign interference.”
