The exercises are “a solemn response to political plays by the US and Taiwan that are undermining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” Senior Col. Shi Yi of the Eastern Theater Command was quoted as saying on the command’s official Weibo account. “We will take all necessary measures and resolutely defend national sovereignty and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.”
Pelosi’s visit, the first from a sitting speaker in 25 years, angered Beijing, which responded by launching significant multi-day military exercises around Taiwan.
China’s military said last Wednesday that it had “successfully completed” those exercises, but pledged to “regularly conduct” more patrols in the direction of the Taiwan Strait.
China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it, and has long vowed to “reunify” the island with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary.
Markey’s five-member delegation is visiting the self-governed island in an effort to “reaffirm the United States’ support for Taiwan” and to “encourage stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait,” a spokesperson for the senator said in a statement.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu thanked the delegation for their visit after hosting the group at the Foreign Ministry on Monday.
“Authoritarian #China can’t dictate how democratic #Taiwan makes friends, wins support, stays resilient & shines like a beacon of freedom,” Wu wrote in a post on the ministry’s Twitter account.
The delegation was expected to meet with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and hold discussions on security and trade issues with Taiwanese legislators on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense committee on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
In a statement Monday, China’s Defense Ministry called the congressional delegation’s trip an “ambush visit” that “violates China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The military drills by its Eastern Theater Command were a “solemn deterrent” of “collusion and provocation” by the US and Taiwan, said spokesperson Wu Qian.
Beijing’s Foreign Ministry also decried the congressional visit in a regular news briefing Monday.
Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China urges the US to “not cause further damage to Sino-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
“China will take resolute and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Wang said.
CNN’s Eric Cheung and Devan Cole contributed to this report.
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