Taiwanese official says China’s behavior around her country is ‘unprecedented’

A top Taiwanese official slammed China’s “unprecedented” behavior as dozens of planes this week entered the self-governing island’s air defense identification zone following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) trip to Taiwan.

“China’s behavior is unprecedented,” Taiwanese Representative to the U.S. Bi-khim Hsiao told CBS’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” when she was asked if China’s actions were more than a drill. “And from the scope and, you know, the actions, it appears that they have been preparing for this for some time, way before Speaker Pelosi decided to visit Taiwan.”

The remarks are part of a longer interview set to air on Sunday, during which Brennan questioned the official about China’s recent military activity, sparking fears of a larger conflict in the region.

Forty-nine planes entered the Taiwan Strait median line following Pelosi’s trip.

Pelosi’s visit to the island nation made her the highest-ranking U.S. official to set foot on the island in the last 25 years. The Speaker made the trip as part of a larger congressional delegation tour to the East, despite concerns from the Biden administration and warnings from Beijing.

But Pelosi’s trip has been backed even by top Senate Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said on the Senate floor this week that she had “every right to go.”

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its mainland, while the self-governing island sees itself as independent of China. 

The U.S. has previously operated under strategic ambiguity when it comes to Taiwan, meaning that it has defense ties and informal relations with Taiwan while considering Beijing as China’s government under the “One China” policy, according to The Associated Press.

However, tensions have ratcheted up recently, with both the Speaker’s presence in the nation and President Biden’s pledge in May to help defend Taiwan should China attack — an apparent step away from strategic ambiguity.

The U.S. has also been critical of China’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine and over human rights abuses against the Muslim minority in the country.

“You know, we have been living under the threat from China for decades, and we cannot let their ongoing threats define our desire to make friends internationally.  If you have a kid being bullied at school, you don’t say, ‘You don’t go to school,’” Hsiao told Brennan when asked if Taiwan was concerned over the U.S. official’s trip there.

“You try to find a way to deal with the bully. And that’s exactly what Taiwan is doing: working on making our society stronger and more resilient, fortifying our defenses.”

China sanctioned Pelosi on Friday following the Taiwan visit, calling it an “egregious provocation.”