CHINA conducted military exercises around Taiwan yesterday as a bipartisan group of US lawmakers visited the island and pledged their unwavering support if it came under attack. 

“This operation is in response to the recent frequent release of wrong signals by the United States on the Taiwan issue,” People’s Liberation Army spokesman Shi Yilu said.

“The US bad actions and tricks are completely futile and very dangerous. Those who play with fire will burn themselves,” he said, although he did not mention the US politicians directly. 

Beijing had already warned against the high-profile US delegation to Taiwan, saying that it undermines Chinese national sovereignty and the “One China” principle. 

China deems Taiwan an integral part of its territory, a position that is recognised by most of the international community. 

However tensions between Beijing and Taipei are at their highest for more than 40 years, officials have said, with the US ratcheting up military support for Taiwan, which has governed itself since the communist revolution swept the mainland in 1949.

It has sent a number of high-profile political figures to the island in defiance of warnings from Beijing.

Last month the US, the island’s largest supplier of weapons, approved an additional $95 million of military aid and training.

Delegation leader Robert Menendez praised Taiwan’s status as a leading manufacturer of semi-conductor chips which are used in smartphones and cars. 

He warned of “consequences” if that status was undermined. 

“It is a country of global significance, of global consequence, of global impact, and therefore it should be understood the security of Taiwan has a global impact for those who would wish it ill,” he said. 

The head of the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee said that Washington did not seek conflict with China. 

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen said she hopes the visit will deepen relations between the two.