The U.S. has been the main instigator of the current crisis in the Taiwan Strait, Washington should immediately correct its mistakes instead of provoking further escalation in the region, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said at a briefing Thursday.

The U.S., as the main initiator of the current crisis, must take full responsibility. Washington should strictly adhere to the one China principle and take immediate measures to correct its mistakes instead of further escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Tan Kefei says.

He highlighted that criticism of the Chinese army's drills by a number of Western countries, including the United States, completely distorts the facts and is an attempt to shift responsibility to others.

The cause and effect of the current situation in the Taiwan Strait are absolutely clear, it is clear at a glance what is right and what is wrong. The People's Liberation Army of China recently conducted a military exercise near the island of Taiwan that was open, transparent, professional and reasonable, and served as a warning to provocateurs and troublemakers, he notes.

The official stressed that the exercises were a legitimate and fair step taken to protect the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

Earlier, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said China overreacted to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and resorted to provocations and threats to increase pressure on the island. For his part, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said China's reaction to the American politician's visit to the island was excessive and pointed out that Beijing must now convince the rest of the world that it will act peacefully in the future.