China slams U.S. lawmakers' trip to Taiwan on military aircraft

Beijing conducts 'combat readiness patrol' as cross-strait tensions grow

The U.S. has sent several delegations to Taiwan this year. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks with former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd and other visiting Americans at the presidential office in Taipei on April 15. © Reuters

RYO NAKAMURA and TSUKASA HADANO, Nikkei staff writers

November 11, 2021 02:52 JST

WASHINGTON/BEIJING -- China has lodged strong objections to this week's U.S. congressional delegation visit to Taiwan, as reports that the lawmakers arrived in a U.S. Navy C-40 transport plane further inflame tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

"We ask the U.S. side to immediately stop all forms of official interactions with Taiwan and avoid sending wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, lest it should seriously undermine China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Wednesday.