CNN
US lawmakers vowed to bolster Taiwan’s deterrence against China on Monday during a bipartisan congressional visit to the self-governing democracy just days after Beijing surrounded the island with massive military exercises.
Last week’s drills were the largest China has launched in more than a year and came days after Taiwan swore in its new president, Lai Ching-te, who is openly loathed by Beijing for championing the island’s sovereignty and distinct identity.
In a news conference in Taipei, US Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the drills an “intimidation tactic to punish democracy” and vowed to bolster Taiwan’s defense by speeding up the delivery of defensive weapons from the US.
