Taiwan Vice President William Lai returned on Friday from the United States, a trip China has condemned and which Taiwanese officials warned could prompt more Chinese military drills near the island.
TAOYUAN, Taiwan, Aug 18 - Taiwan Vice President William Lai returned on Friday from a sensitive visit to the United States, a trip China has condemned and which has brought warnings from Taiwanese officials it could prompt more Chinese military drills near the island.
Taiwanese officials have said China is likely to conduct military exercises this week near the island, using Lai's U.S. stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of next year's presidential election and make them "fear war". The U.S. Ronald Reagan carrier strike group was also in the waters about 800 nautical miles off Taiwan's eastern coast as of Thursday evening, the person added.
Russia's defence ministry said on Friday that the Russian and Chinese ships "conducted anti-submarine drills, repelled an air raid by a mock enemy, trained for rescue operations at sea, and mastered skills for take offs and landings on decks of war ships". Lai officially only made transits in the United States, first in New York and then in San Francisco, on his way to and from Paraguay to attend the new president's inauguration in one of only 13 countries that maintains formal ties with Taipei.
China especially dislikes Lai because of comments he has previously made about being a "practical worker for Taiwan independence", though he has pledged on the campaign trail to maintain the status quo and offered talks with Beijing.
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