China Taiwan military exercises prompt bipartisan lawmakers Rep. John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi to accuse Beijing of escalating tensions with live-fire drills around Taiwan.<\/b>
\nBipartisan lawmakers on the Select Committee on China accused Beijing of escalating tensions in the region on Tuesday, warning that Capitol Hill had taken notice of their military display around Taiwan.
„As the world turns toward a new year, the People\u2019s Liberation Army\u2019s live-fire military exercises around Taiwan represent a deliberate escalation by Beijing“, the committee\u2019s chairman, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said in a joint press release.
„These drills are intended to intimidate Taiwan and other democracies in the region and to undermine peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.“
Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi\u2019s statement comes as China conducts a two-day show of force in the Taiwan Strait. The country fired rockets into the international waters around Taiwan and deployed amphibious assault ships, bombers, drones and other vessels to the area.
China is conducting exercises on all four sides of Taiwan, grounding international flights.
This is not the first time China has engaged in saber-rattling around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.
President Donald Trump, in a statement on Monday, said he was not worried about China\u2019s display of force, adding that he has a „great relationship“ with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump noted that China has been conducting naval and military exercises in the region for 20 years.
Lawmakers in the House said China\u2019s displays of power are intended to extend the CCP\u2019s influence beyond its borders.
„By rehearsing coercive military scenarios and projecting force beyond its borders, the Chinese Communist Party is seeking to reshape the regional order through aggression and intimidation“, the committee said.
Lawmakers added that they would continue to support Taiwan.
„The United States stands with Taiwan and fellow democracies and will continue to work with partners to preserve Taiwan\u2019s security and uphold a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific“, their statement said.<\/p>\n