China calls US claims of military pressure on Taiwan

The United States' claims about China exerting military pressure on Taiwan are distorted, and demonstrate its "malicious intentions".



China has stepped up military activity around democratically governed Taiwan, which it views as its own territory, holding several rounds of war games, most recently with live-fire drills in late December.



"Certain people on the U.S. side are jumping up and down, continuously rehashing the so-called 'mainland threat' or 'military pressure,'" Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters.



This represented "a complete distortion of the facts and harbours malicious intentions," he added, saying Taiwan was an internal affair for China, which would brook no outside interference.



Chen urged the United States to act with great caution, and handle Taiwan-related matters carefully and prudently.



China has repeatedly demanded a halt to weapons sales to Taiwan by the United States, its most important international backer, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.



Wednesday's remarks came after the U.S. State Department urged China last week to talk to Taiwan and halt its military and other pressure on the island, after Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun met President Xi Jinping in Beijing.