White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday called China’s military maneuvers in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as irresponsible and warned that the situation was in danger of spiraling out of control.
“I don’t think what China did here is responsible,” Sullivan said in an interview with National Public Radio.
Beijing held military exercises around Taiwan on Wednesday in response to Pelosi’s visit to the independent and democratic island that China considers part of its territory.
“Whenever a soldier participates in a series of activities involving missile tests, live-fire exercises, or the possibility of sky-crossing warplanes and seagoing ships, the possibility of some kind of incident (that happens)” Sullivan said, urging Beijing to ease tensions in the Taiwan Strait. real,” he said.
“What we expect is that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) will act responsibly and avoid tensions in the air or at sea that could lead to miscalculations,” he said.
Pelosi, who is second in line for her presidential successor, traveled to Taiwan on Tuesday, defying threats from Beijing, who saw the visit as a major provocation.
China has reacted angrily by declaring “necessary and fair” military exercises in waters off the coast of Taiwan, one of the world’s busiest waterways.
Following Pelosi’s departure, Taiwan’s defense minister announced that 27 Chinese warplanes had entered the island’s air defense zone.
In the past two years Beijing has increased the number of military attacks on Taiwan’s defensive zone, an area larger than the island’s airspace, but this remains a relatively rare event.
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© Agence France-Press
source: Noticias
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