Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that its website suffered cyber attacks and was temporarily down.
It said it was working closely with other authorities to improve security as tensions with China mount.
Earlier this week, several government websites, including the presidential office, were targeted by hacking attacks abroad, some of which, officials said, were carried out by the Chinese and Russia.
Nancy Pelosi leaves Taiwan, ends visit that angered China
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday at around 6 pm local time (7 am GMT).
Pelosi’s stop in Taipei marks the first time a US House Speaker has visited the island in 25 years. His trip comes at a bad time in US-China relations and even after warnings from the Biden administration against a stop at the site.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the gesture would have a “severe impact on the political basis of China-US relations”.
The California Democrat is leading a congressional delegation on a tour of Asia this week, which includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Though not included on her official itinerary, expectations that she was planning a visit to Taiwan have fueled tensions between the two countries since reports of a possible trip emerged last month.
In a speech at the presidential office, Pelosi indicated that she wants to make “unambiguously clear” that the US will not abandon Taiwan.
“Today, our delegation came to Taiwan to make it unequivocally clear that we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan and we are proud of our enduring friendship,” Pelosi said, alongside President Tsai Ing-wen, after receiving Taiwan’s highest civilian honor.
“Now more than ever, America’s solidarity with Taiwan is crucial and that is the message we are bringing here today,” she said. “I look forward to displaying this honor in the (House) Office of the Presidency, or using it on Capitol Hill as a symbol of our precious friendship,” Pelosi said of the civil honor.
The island’s president thanked Pelosi for her visit and said Taipei would do “whatever it takes” to strengthen its capacity for self-defense.
“Facing deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down. We will firmly defend our nation’s sovereignty and continue to maintain the line of defense of democracy,” Tsai said.
China calls Pelosi’s Taiwan visit ‘a complete sham’
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attacked Pelosi calling her visit to Taiwan a “complete farce” and warning that “those who play with fire will perish”.
“The United States is violating China’s sovereignty under the guise of democracy,” Wang told reporters during a meeting with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) foreign ministers in Cambodia.
In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized Pelosi for “blatantly” proceeding with her visit, claiming that she “maliciously infringes on China’s sovereignty and blatantly engages in political provocation.”
“This proves once again that some US politicians have become ‘troublemakers’ of China-US relations,” he said in a statement.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also revealed in a separate statement that Beijing will adopt “criminal punishment measures” for those who are “obstinate” in supporting the island’s independence.
Source: CNN Brasil
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