China holds military exercises near Taiwan as US diplomat visits

BEIJING AFP Sept18, 2020-   
China said Friday it was conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait, as a top US diplomat visits the self-ruled island in a move that has angered Beijing.   

Relations between the United States and China are at their lowest point in decades, with the two sides clashing over a range of trade, military and security issues as well as the coronavirus pandemic.   

Keith Krach, US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, landed in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit in 40 years.   

At a press conference on Friday, a Chinese defence ministry spokesman said Beijing was “holding actual combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait” when asked how it would respond to the visit.   

 “This is a legitimate and necessary action taken to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait,” Ren Guoqiang told reporters.   

Ren also warned that the Chinese military had “sufficient ability” to counter any external threat or challenge from Taiwan separatists.   

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, to be absorbed into the Chinese mainland -- by force if necessary.