China Stages Combat Patrols After Warning Taiwan About US Speaker Meeting

China Stages Combat Patrols After Warning Taiwan About US Speaker Meeting
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy attend an event with members of the Taiwanese community in New York in a handout picture released on March 30, 2023. Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

TAIPEI—Nine Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line on Friday carrying out combat readiness patrols, Taiwan’s defense ministry said, days after Beijing threatened retaliation if President Tsai Ing-wen meets U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The Chinese communist regime, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory despite the strong objections of the island’s government, has been angered by what it sees as stepped up U.S. support for Taiwan.