US State Secretary Antony Blinken has said that China’s use of missiles during military exercises near Taiwan was an unjustified escalation, as Beijing threatened to punish House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi for traveling to the island.
On Friday, as diplomatic squabbles over Pelosi’s visit to the self-governing island continued, Blinken told a news conference on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Cambodia that there was no justification for this “extreme, disproportionate and escalatory military responseâ€.
He said that the United States was gravely concerned about China’s conduct and stated it would not be provoked, adding that “there was no possible justification for what they have doneâ€.
A day after Pelosi angered Beijing by traveling to the island in support of Taiwan; China began its largest-ever military exercises in the skies and waters surrounding Taiwan on Thursday. The drills are expected to go on until Sunday at noon.
China’s Foreign Ministry announced that it would sanction Pelosi and her immediate family in response to her “vicious” and “provocative” actions.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement, “Despite China’s serious concerns and firm opposition, Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs, undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, trampling on the one-China policy, and threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.”
China fired multiple missiles into waters surrounding Taiwan on Thursday in an unprecedented escalation.
