The leaders of the special committee on China of the US House of Representatives issued a statement in which they defined Beijing's military exercises around Taiwan as a "deliberate escalation", Reuters reported.
"These exercises are intended to intimidate Taiwan and other democracies in the region and to undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," said the committee's chairman, Republican John Moolenaar of the Republican Party, and the highest-ranking Democrat in it, Raja Krishnamurthy.
"These exercises are a threat to regional security and stability and must be stopped immediately," the two congressmen said.
The Chinese military announced last week that its air, naval and missile units were conducting exercises around Taiwan. Beijing described the maneuvers as a "stern warning" to separatist forces and "external interference".
Before announcing the start of the military exercises, Beijing expressed dissatisfaction with US plans to sell Taipei large quantities of weapons and with the statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that her country's military could intervene if China takes action against Taiwan.