China sanctions Taiwan officials and stages new military drills after US lawmakers’ Taipei visit

Beijing carries out combat drills' and acts against seven individuals for allegedly supporting Taiwan independence

China has sanctioned senior Taiwanese officials and staged a new round of military drills around Taiwan in response to a brief visit to the island by a delegation of bipartisan US lawmakers. The arrival of the lawmakers took place after the House speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to the island.

On Monday, Chinese state media announced seven individuals had been sanctioned for allegedly supporting Taiwan independence, including Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the US, Hsiao Bi-khim, the head of Taiwan's national security council, Wellington Koo, and Lin Fe-fan, the deputy secretary general of the governing Democratic Progressive party.