China Holds Military Forces When US Senators Visit Taiwan

JAKARTA - The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) deployed military troops to conduct combat exercises near the island of Taiwan.

Deploy troops near Taiwan Island's airspace and sea on Friday, August 26 afternoon, hours after US senator Marsha Blackburn met Taiwan, President Tsai Ing Wen.

"This is a military operation carried out by the development of the situation in the Taiwan Strait," the PLA's Eastern Fleet Command posted on Saturday, August 27.

The PLA Eastern Fleet Command said it would continue to hone its combat fleet readiness capabilities to safeguard China's sovereignty and national security as well as the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) condemned Blackburn's visit to Taiwan for violating the One China principle in which Taiwan is declared part of China's territory.

"China will continue to take decisive action to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the MFA said on its website on Friday.

Taiwan's defense authorities in a release said they detected the movement of eight PLA ships and 35 PLA aircraft around the Taiwan Strait.

A total of 18 PLA warplanes of various types, such as the Su-30, J-11, J-16, and J-10 flew east of the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Republican Senator from Tennessee Marsha Blackburn arrived in Taipei late Thursday, August 25 aboard a US military aircraft to begin her three-day visit to Taiwan.

Coincidentally, a few hours before the female US politician's plane landed in Taipei, Taiwan's legislature passed a 2023 defense budget of about 19.5 billion US dollars, an increase of 12.9 percent compared to its 2022 budget.

Taiwan's defense budget includes purchases of military equipment from the US, which also rose 13.9 percent.