China must pay a greater price for its support for Russia in the midst of war with Ukraine, US Senator Lindsey Graham warned on Friday April 15 during a visit to Taiwan by parliamentarians, who reaffirmed Washington’s desire to don’t abandon the island.
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Beijing has threatened to adoptstrong measuresin response to the visit made by Senator Graham leading a delegation of American parliamentarians, and announced on Friday that the People’s Liberation Army had conducted exercises around Taiwan and in the South China Sea as a warning .
The United States “alongside Taiwan”
During a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen, Lindsey Graham assured that the United States stood “alongside Taiwanwhich China considers part of its territory and which it threatens to seize by force if necessary. “Giving up Taiwan would mean giving up democracy and freedom… It would be rewarding the worst in humanity“, he added. He warned that the United States “would start making China pay a higher price for what it is doing in the world. Support (for Russian President Vladimir) Putin must have a price“, he underlined.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Beijing has refused to condemn, has heightened fears that China may decide to follow through on its threats to annex the island. Taiwan’s security is an issue that concerns the whole world, because the island produces 90% of the high-end semiconductors essential to the economy, noted during a press conference the senator Bob Menendez, president of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee who is part of the delegation. Asked if the United States would send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, Lindsey Graham replied that “all options are on the table“.
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In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the Chinese military drills were a “countermeasurein reply to the visit of the American senators. “The operations were organized in response to the frequent bad signals sent recently by the United States on the question of Taiwansaid Chinese army eastern command spokesman Shi Yi. “America’s bad behavior and shenanigans are completely futile and extremely perilous. Those who play with fire will be burnedadded the military spokesman.
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