China resumes military drills in Taiwan against visit of US lawmakers  

China on Monday revealed it has engaged in fresh military exercise around Taiwan, in opposition to the visits of a five-man delegation of United States legislators, who held a meeting with the leader of Taiwan. The lawmakers’ unannounced two-day visit increased the tension in the sub-region after the earlier visit by the U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, a fortnight ago.

China had in early drills warships, missiles and jets into the waters and skies surrounding the Taiwan territory.

The U.S. de facto embassy had disclosed that “the five-man congressional delegation, led by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, met with President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday.”

According to the U.S. embassy, “The delegation had an opportunity to exchange views with Taiwan counterparts on a wide range of issues of importance to both the United States and Taiwan.”

The spokesman of the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, Shi Yi, in a statement on Monday, declared that the country had carried out “combat readiness patrol and combat drills in the sea and airspace around Taiwan island.”

Shi Yi maintained: “This is a solemn deterrent against the US and Taiwan for continuing to play political tricks and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”  He insisted that the Chinese military are determined to “resolutely defend national sovereignty”.

Taiwan had accused China of using Pelosi’s visit as an excuse to engage in drills that would prepare it for an invasion.

China has maintained that Taiwan is its territory, saying it will use force if necessary to take the island back.

The visiting delegation of U.S. lawmakers, urged America to “stop going further down the wrong path of hollowing out and distorting the one-China principle, so as not to cause further damage to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”