Taipei, (AFP) - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday that her country "will not back down" in the face of the threat of China , which is preparing to organize dangerous military exercises near the coast of the island in response to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

During a meeting with Tsai in Taipei, Pelosi said that she came to the region "in peace", stressing at the same time that the United States will not abandon its commitments to the democratic island that lives under the constant threat of a Chinese invasion.

"Today our delegation (...) came to Taiwan to say unequivocally that we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan and that we are proud of our enduring friendship," said Pelosi, the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years.

The US official arrived in Taipei on Tuesday evening aboard a US military plane, which immediately sparked sharp reactions in Beijing.

China's Foreign Ministry condemned the "grave violation" of US commitments to Beijing, which "seriously undermines regional peace and stability."

The Chinese government summoned US Ambassador Nicholas Burns on Tuesday evening. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng expressed his country's "firm protests" over the visit.

"The initiative (Pelosi's visit to Taiwan) is very shocking and the consequences will be very serious," he said, according to the Xinhua news agency.

For its part, the Chinese Ministry of Defense promised "targeted military actions" through a series of military maneuvers around the island starting Wednesday, including "firing long-range live ammunition" in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China.

The coordinates published by the Chinese army indicate that part of the military operations will take place twenty kilometers from the coast of Taiwan.

A spokesman for the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, Sun Lifang, said, "Some areas of the Chinese exercises overlap (...) with the territorial waters of Taiwan." "This is an irrational act aimed at challenging the international order," he added.

As for Japan, it said it was "concerned" about the Chinese exercises, noting that some of them would violate its exclusive economic zone.

South Korea called for the next stop on Pelosi's Asian tour, Wednesday, for calm.

On Wednesday, China announced the suspension of importing some types of fruits and fish from Taiwan and exporting natural sand to the island.

On Wednesday, China's customs administration said it would suspend imports of citrus fruits and some fish from Taiwan.

And she confirmed that she had "repeatedly" spotted a type of harmful parasite on citrus fruits and recorded excessive levels of pesticides.

The Ministry of Commerce, for its part, also announced to "suspend the export of natural sand to Taiwan" from Wednesday, without giving any explanation.

The President of Taiwan confirmed Wednesday that her country will not back down. "We will continue (...) to defend democracy," she said during her meeting with Pelosi.

She thanked the US official for "taking concrete steps to show her unwavering support for Taiwan at this crucial moment."

Taiwan authorities said Tuesday and Wednesday night that 21 Chinese military aircraft entered the island's air defense identification zone - an area much larger than its own airspace. Taiwan's Defense Ministry condemned "the unilateral attempt to threaten our ports and cities and undermine regional peace and stability."

She added, "The army will certainly remain in place and protect national security, and we ask the public to be reassured and support the army."

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesman's remarks came after a statement by the ministry, which confirmed on Wednesday that the Chinese military exercises threaten the main ports and urban areas on the island, and promised to "strengthen" defenses and respond firmly.

The ministry said the exercises constitute "an attempt to threaten our important ports and cities and to unilaterally undermine regional peace and stability."

A number of US ships are also sailing in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, according to US military sources.

Most observers consider the possibility of armed conflict to be small.

But US officials said they were preparing for shows of force by the Chinese military.

China considers Taiwan, with its population of 23 million, as one of its provinces that it has not succeeded in annexing to the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War (1949).

Beijing opposes any initiative that gives the Taiwanese authorities international legitimacy, and opposes any official contact between Taiwan and other countries.

US officials visit the island regularly. But China sees Pelosi's third personal visit to the US country as a major provocation.

And last week, in a phone conversation with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the United States not to "play with fire."

Since 1979, Washington has recognized only one Chinese government, the Beijing government, but it has continued to provide support to the Taiwanese authorities, especially through large arms sales.

The United States also practices a policy of "strategic ambiguity" as it refrains from saying whether or not it will defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an invasion.

Russia, China's main ally, accused the Americans on Tuesday of "destabilizing the world" and described Nancy Pelosi's visit as a "sheer provocation".

North Korea, another ally of Beijing, expressed its "full support".