US delegation arrives in Taiwan as China denounces visit

TAIPEI/BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - A delegation of former senior U.S. defence and security officials sent by President Joe Biden arrived in Taipei on Tuesday on a visit denounced by China and happening in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.   

The visit, led by one-time chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, comes at a time when Taiwan has stepped up its alert level, wary of China taking advantage of a distracted West to move against it.   

Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own and has vowed to bring it under Chinese control, by force if necessary.   

China describes Taiwan as the most sensitive and important issue in its ties with the United States, and any high-level interactions upset Beijing.   

“The will of the Chinese people to defend our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is immovable. Whoever United States sends to show support for Taiwan is bound to fail,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said of the visit.