China sent aircrafts and ships to Taiwan in response to U.S. 2023 fiscal budget
The CCP Armed Forces flew over the island following the approval of the 2023 U.S. fiscal budget, which includes millions of dollars in military assistance to Taipei.
Chinese Navy destroyer 'Qingdao' / Alamy.
The fiscal 2023 budget that U.S. Congress approved last Friday did not go down well in the Communist Party of China (CPC). The U.S. allocated $10 billion in military assistance to Taiwan over the next five years. In response, China sent 71 combat aircraft and seven ships of the People's Liberation Army to surround the island.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense claimed that the invasion occurred at 6:00 (local time) and reported its own deployment to counter the aerial invasion:
Beijing's justification
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China justified the move by saying that the budget signed by Joe Biden will be "blatantly interfering in China's internal affairs and attacks and discredits the Communist Party of China." The ministry further asserted that the law "sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces."
A spokesman pointed out that the White House's attitude disrupts the one-China principle and warned that Beijing will take "vigorous measures" in favor of its sovereign interests:
Increasingly strained relations
The Omnibus Bill passed by U.S. Congress provides for $1.7 trillion in total spending. Of this amount, some $858 billion is allocated for national defense, while $10 billion will go to support Taiwan.
This move further heats up the relationship between Washington and Beijing, which in 2022 only deteriorated, especially with Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei on August 2, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to the island in the last 25 years.
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