Taiwan: China's threats will only increase Western support for the island

Beijing blamed lawmakers, including the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, for raising tensions during their "provocative" trip, according to Reuters.

In a statement issued late Friday night, Taiwan's foreign ministry condemned China's "hard-line and absurd" response to the visit, the first by a group of US lawmakers this year.

"The authoritarian government of the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s threat of force against Taiwan will only strengthen the will of the Taiwan people to defend freedom and democracy, and will also attract US support for a democratic Taiwan," the statement said.

The ministry said Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the United States and other like-minded countries to defend the free and open Indo-Pacific region and prevent China's "continuous expansion."

US Senator Ben Sassi, one of six representatives from both parties who visited Taiwan and met President Tsai Ing-wen, said in a statement that China cannot tire the United States or its elected representatives.

"The American people have no love for tyrants and instead instinctively support the freedom-loving people of Taiwan," he added.

While the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is the island's largest international arms sponsor and supplier. This has strained Sino-US relations.

Taiwan's government says only the island's 23 million residents can decide their future.

T/S

ANHA