Yesterday, Friday, China announced that its air and naval forces are deploying "combat readiness" patrols around the island of Taiwan, which a delegation from the US Congress recently visited.
Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Front Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said the relevant activity was deemed necessary in response to the recent situation in the special relations in the Taiwan Strait.
"Taiwan is part of China, and protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity is a sacred duty of the People's Liberation Army," the Chinese spokesperson stressed.
He explained that the leadership of the Eastern Front will be vigilant against the interference of foreign powers and what the separatists are seeking, and will take the necessary measures to confront that.
The American Taiwan Institute, which acts as the "actual embassy" of the United States of America on the island, had recently announced that a delegation of five people from Congress had visited Taiwan.
On that visit, the five members of the House of Representatives met the island's leader, Tsai Ing-wen.
This is the second visit of its kind in one month, as a group of politicians from the US Congress made a surprise visit to Taiwan on the ninth of November.
The Eastern Front Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army had already deployed patrols near the island on the previous visit.
Relations between Beijing and Taiwan have been tense since 1949, when forces led by the Nationalist Party took control of Taiwan by force, following its defeat in the civil war in China, and the inauguration of the Chinese Republic on the island.
Beijing does not recognize Taiwan's independence, considers it part of Chinese territory, and rejects any attempts to separate it from China. On the other hand, Taiwan does not recognize Beijing's central government.