China throwing a ‘temper tantrum’ with Taiwan drills, key Democrat says

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the House select committee on China, sharply rebuked China’s recent military drills around Taiwan, accusing Beijing of having a “temper tantrum” that could touch off a crisis.

“It’s provocative behavior, it’s senseless and it’s dangerous because it could escalate into unintended, catastrophic consequences and they need to stop,” Krishnamoorthi told Semafor in an interview Thursday.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, launched two days of military drills surrounding the self-governing island on Thursday, which Beijing described as “punishment” for “separatist acts.” The sea and air exercises came days after the inauguration of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who in his inaugural speech called on China to stop its aggressive behavior and vowed that Taiwan would defend itself “in the face of the many threats and attempts at infiltration from China.”

Krishnamoorthi said that the drills should motivate the US to step up military assistance to Taiwan, which has faced a backlog of US weapons, and that Taiwan should increase investments in its own defense in order to deter China.

There is considerable support for Taiwan in the US Congress; a recent foreign aid package included billions in assistance for Taiwan and other US allies in Asia. Members of both parties have participated in congressional delegations to Taiwan, which have increased in number in recent years.

As China announced the drills on Thursday, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urged the US to abide by the “one China” policy and to halt any congressional visits to Taiwan. That followed a report that House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul plans to lead a delegation to Taiwan later this month.

Krishnamoorthi said it reminded him of a message sent by the Chinese government when he and other lawmakers joined then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a visit to the island in 2022, a trip that caused an extremely negative reaction from Beijing.

“We’re not going to have the CCP dictate our travels, where we go, what we do, who we meet with, who we talk to,” Krishnamoorthi told Semafor, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. “They are control freaks and the more that you give into control freaks, the more that they want to control your activities and for that matter your thoughts and your speech.”

The military drills are the most significant China has launched around Taiwan since April 2023, the Guardian writes, noting that the exercises were widely expected following Beijing’s muted reaction to Lai’s election.