In the wake of military drills in the Taiwan Strait, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday, 5 August, said that China tried to isolate Taiwan, but that the US would not allow it.
"The Chinese made their strikes, probably using our visit as an excuse. They've tried to isolate Taiwan, keeping them most recently from World Health Organization (WHO) by not even letting their participation beyond their agency of World Health Agency that makes these determinations," Pelosi said.
"They may try to keep Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places but they'll not isolate Taiwan by preventing us to travel there...We will not allow them to isolate Taiwan," she added.
She further added that US' friendship with Taiwan was a 'strong one' and bipartisan.
He statement comes after China fired multiple missiles around Taiwan on Thursday, 4 August, as it began large-scale military sea and air drills around it, in view of Pelosi's visit to the island.
'We Will Not Seek, or Want, a Crisis': US
John Kirby, the National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications of the US, also condemned China's action in and around Taiwan, reported news agency PTI.
"We condemn these actions, which are irresponsible and at odds with our longstanding goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region," Kirby said.
He further stated that China was "overreacting" and using Pelosi's visit as a pretext to increase provocative military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait.
"We also expect that these actions will continue and that the Chinese will continue to react in coming days. The United States is prepared for what Beijing chooses to do. We will not seek, nor do we want, a crisis," he added.
He added that the US did not want tensions to escalate further. "We do not believe it is in our interest, Taiwan's interest, the region's interest to allow tensions to escalate further, which is why a long-planned Minuteman III ICBM test scheduled for this week has been rescheduled for the near future," he said.
"Rescheduling this test will not in any way impact the modernisation, the readiness, or the reliability of America's safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent. And the test will happen. It will be rescheduled for the near future," Kirby added.
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