Kremlin: China's Military Exercises Off Taiwan Its Sovereign Right

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China's military exercises near Taiwan are its sovereign right, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, noting that tensions in the region were artificially provoked by the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island.

"You know that there were tensions in the region around Taiwan, in fact, it was artificially provoked. You and I perfectly understand, we are aware of who provoked it. Nancy Pelosi's visit. It was a completely unnecessary visit and an unnecessary provocation. As for the exercises, then this is China's sovereign right," Peskov told reporters.

Earlier in the day, China launched a large-scale military exercise in the eastern Taiwan Strait in response to Pelosi's trip.

The US House speaker arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, despite multiple warnings from China pledging that there would be harsh consequences.

Pelosi became the first high-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in over 25 years. Despite close ties between Washington and Taipei, the US does not recognize Taiwan's independence. Her trip became a major bone of contention between the US and China, since Beijing considers the island to be a part of Chinese territory, and such moves from Washington are considered a provocation.