This undated file photo shows senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense. CN The patrols and combat drills conducted by the People's Liberation Army around the Taiwan island are a stern deterrence to US-Taiwan collusion, the Defense Ministry said on Monday after a delegation of members of the United States Congress visited the island.
The visit, led by US Senator Ed Markey, seriously violated the one-China principle and three China-US joint communiques and infringed on China's sovereignty and territory integrity. Senior Colonel WuQian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement that it was the US that undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.
The inter-service joint patrol and combat exercises organized by the PLA's Eastern Theater Command in the air and waters off the Taiwan island are a firm response and stern deterrence to the provocations and collusion between the US and Taiwan, he said.
He said senior spokesman for the theater command, Shi Yi, said the US and Taiwan continue to play political tricks. The troops of the theater command will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and peace and stability across the Straits.
Wu, the Defense Ministry spokesman, warned the US and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party administration that efforts to use Taiwan to contain China and the island's collusion with foreign forces in an effort to achieve independence are doomed to fail, stressing that the Taiwan question allows for no foreign interference.
He said that any attempt to buck the trend of history, ignores the will of the Chinese people or obstructs the process of China's reunification will end in failure.
READ MORE: Wang warns against continued provocations on Taiwan.
He added that the PLA will thwart any attempt for 'Taiwan independence' or external interference in any form.