Pelosi says US will 'not abandon' Taiwan as China begins military drills

During a historic trip to Taiwan, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her visit was intended to make it "unequivocally clear" that the United States would "not abandon" the democratically governed island. China responded to Pelosi's trip launching military exercises, which China's Ministry of Defense said began with drills in both the seas and airspace surrounding Taiwan. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said 27 Chinese warplanes made incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, and 22 planes crossed the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait -- an unprecedented number since Taiwan began publicly releasing information about China's air incursions about two years ago.