China’s firing of missiles around Taiwan is a disproportionate, significant, and unjustified escalation and the United States has made it repeatedly clear to China it does not seek a crisis, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
Blinken told a news conference on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum that the United States would not be provoked by China and Washington was seriously concerned, adding “there was no possible justification for what they have done.”
At the same time, China has decided to sanction U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family in response to her “vicious” and “provocative” actions, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.
“Despite China’s serious concerns and firm opposition, Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs, undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, trampling on the one-China policy, and threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.