The "speaker" of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, accuses the government in Beijing of using her visit to Taiwan as a pretext for military intimidation of the country.

"The Chinese are making their punches," Pelosi told journalists in Tokyo on Friday, referring to Chinese military maneuvers.

"They're probably using our visit as an excuse."

Friederike Böge

Political correspondent for China, North Korea and Mongolia.

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Patrick Welter

Correspondent for business and politics in Japan based in Tokyo.

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Pelosi thus underscored the line of the Western allies to emphasize China's responsibility for the military tensions around Taiwan.

There is no justification for the military provocations following Pelosi's peaceful visit to Taiwan, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday at the meeting of the Southeast Asian community of states, ASEAN, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

According to a report by the Bloomberg news agency, Blinken accused China of wanting to change the status quo in the Taiwan Straits with the maneuvers.

Experts suspect that China wants to set a precedent for a future new normal with the major maneuvers around Taiwan.

China claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory.

Beijing responded to Pelosi's visit to Taiwan on Tuesday and Wednesday with a series of military maneuvers that are expected to last at least until Sunday.

In a rare move, China allowed warships to cross the unofficial maritime border in the Strait between China and Taiwan on Friday.

According to the Taiwanese Defense Ministry, Chinese warplanes crossed the line again.

On Thursday, China began maneuvers by launching 11 ballistic missiles, four of which flew over Taiwan and five fell east of Taiwan in Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

Human Rights Committee wants to travel to Taiwan

In Tokyo, after a meeting with Pelosi, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida renewed his call to China for an immediate halt to military maneuvers.

China's behavior has serious implications for regional and world peace and stability, Kishida said.

He and Pelosi have agreed to work closely together to ensure peace and stability are maintained across the Taiwan Strait.

"We will not allow them to isolate Taiwan," Pelosi said after speaking with Kishida to Beijing.

The Congress delegation's visit to Taiwan was not intended to change the status quo.

She rejected criticism that her visit was a personal show.

"It's not about me, it's about her.

Taiwan is one of the freest countries in the world,” said Pelosi, describing the visit as a signal to congratulate the country on building a prosperous democracy.

"If we don't stand up for human rights in China because of our commercial interests, we lose the moral authority to stand up for human rights elsewhere in the world," Pelosi said.

At the same time, however, she underscored the need to work with China on certain issues.