Taiwan’s defense ministry said it then scrambled jets to chase the Chinese jet into its air defense zone, according to Reuters. China announced on Friday that it was suspending all cooperation with the US on climate change, as well as high-level military dialogue, in response to Ms Pelosi’s visit. The Foreign Office told him that cooperation on the return of illegal immigrants, criminal investigations, transnational crime and illegal drugs would also be suspended. All 49 Chinese aircraft crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said in a statement, as part of the latest military drills ordered by Beijing in the wake of Ms Pelosi’s visit. The ministry called the drill a “highly provocative act” that followed China’s exaggerated show of military force on Thursday when the country fired missiles near the island. “Since 11 a.m., several batches of Chinese warplanes and warships have conducted drills around the Taiwan Strait and crossed the middle line of the strait,” the ministry said. “This Chinese military exercise, whether it is the launch of ballistic missiles or the deliberate crossing of the middle line of the strait, is a highly provocative act.” Ms. Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier in the week, becoming the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Her visit sparked backlash from China as the country considers Taiwan a breakaway province that will eventually be reunited with the mainland. Before the visit, Beijing had issued repeated warnings and threatened dire consequences if Ms. Pelosi went to Taiwan. A Chinese military aircraft flies over Pingtan Island, one of the closest points to mainland China from Taiwan, in Fujian Province (AFP via Getty Images) The US does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan and officially recognizes Beijing’s one-China policy. However, it supplies arms to Taipei under the Taiwan Relations Act and has also pledged to defend the island nation in the event of an attack by China. “They may try to prevent Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan by preventing us from traveling there,” she said in Tokyo on Friday on the final leg of her Asia tour. Earlier, the country announced sanctions against Ms Pelosi and her family in response to her “bad” and “provocative” visit to Taiwan, China’s foreign ministry said. Follow the latest on China and Taiwan here.
