Taiwan claims China, Russia disrupting, threatening world order

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's leader on Friday said China and Russia are "disrupting and threatening the world order" with Beijing's recent large-scale military exercises near the island and Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

President Tsai Ing-wen was speaking during a meeting in Taipei with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is on the second visit by members of Congress since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip earlier this month.

That visit prompted China to launch military exercises in which it fired numerous missiles and sent dozens of warplanes and naval ships to virtually surround the island. Some ships crossed the center line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been a buffer between the sides.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Beijing has also boosted its relations with Russia and is seen as tacitly supporting Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

"These developments demonstrate how authoritarian countries are disrupting and threatening the world order," Tsai said.

Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, reaffirmed shared values between the two governments and said she "looked forward to continuing to support Taiwan as they push forward as an independent nation."

In later remarks at the Foreign Ministry's Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs, Blackburn criticized leaders she did not identify for failing to take the threat from authoritarian regimes seriously enough.

Xi Jinping, China's president and leader of the ruling Communist Party, "will not stop threatening the safety and security of Taiwan simply because it would be in everyone's best interest to do so," she said. "He is not a normal leader. And he has no interest in normal reactions or normal relations with the rest of the world."

In Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement it deplores Blackburn's visit and urges her to cease all forms of official communication with Taiwan, saying it sends the wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces.

China sees high-level foreign visits to Taiwan as interference in its affairs and a de facto recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty. China's recent military drills were seen by some as a rehearsal of future military action against the island, which U.S. military leaders say could come within the next few years.

Along with staging the exercises, China cut off contacts with the United States on vital issues, including military matters and crucial climate cooperation, raising concerns over a more aggressive approach by Beijing. It also called in U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns to formally complain.