US: China’s latest military drills off Taiwan an ‘overreaction’

A US State Department spokesperson has accused China of overreacting to a visit to Taiwan by a US congressional delegation.

The Chinese military on Monday said it conducted drills around Taiwan as a countermeasure against the visit by the bipartisan group of lawmakers.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that “China must make the necessary and legitimate response to every blatant provocation by the United States.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday, “Any response to a peaceful visit by members of Congress, any response that entails bellicose rhetoric or military maneuvers or provocative actions is totally unnecessary, and an absolute overreaction.”

Price said US congressional delegations have been visiting Taiwan for decades. He accused Beijing of taking advantage of the latest visit as it attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

The congressional delegation, led by Senator Ed Markey, met Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and other officials on Monday.

The trip comes less than two weeks after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China responded by holding large-scale air and maritime drills around Taiwan.