South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung arrived in China on Sunday, eager to enhance economic ties with Seoul's largest trading partner while keeping a lid on potentially explosive issues such as Taiwan.
China accused Taiwan's president on Thursday of telling "lies" in a speech he gave vowing to defend the island's sovereignty after large-scale military exercices by Beijing, state media reported.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has vowed to defend the democratic island's sovereignty in a New Year's speech, after China carried out military drills.
China announced on Wednesday that it had successfully completed military drills around Taiwan, including live-fire exercises simulating a blockade of key ports and attacks on maritime targets.
Beijing's top diplomat stressed Tuesday that China would "forcefully counter" large-scale US arms sales to Taiwan, as its military kicked off a second day of live-fire drills around the island.
Beijing staged live-fire drills around Taiwan on Monday, deploying troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises, as the island scrambled soldiers and showcased U.S.-made hardware to rehearse repelling an attack.
The United States has approved $11.1bn in arms sales to Taiwan, one of Washington’s largest-ever military packages for the self-ruled island, which Beijing has promised to unify with mainland China.
US President Donald Trump has refused to approve a weapons package for Taiwan, the Washington Post has reported, citing five people familiar with the matter.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has declared that the reunification of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland is a “historical inevitability”. He made the comments as the island prepares to hold contentious parliamentary and presidential elections.
