HONG KONG — The Chinese military sent 71 aircraft and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour period, Taiwan’s government said Monday, in its biggest show of force since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island earlier this year.The aggression toward the self-ruling democracy, which Beijing claims as its territory, came after the Chinese government objected to a U.S. defense spending bill passed on Friday that includes greater support for Taiwan’s military.Taiwan said its military was monitoring the situation using planes, ships and land-based missile systems, adding that the Chinese drills were an effort to intimidate the people of Taiwan, who strongly reject Beijing’s claims of sovereignty.China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, said Sunday that it had held joint exercises in the sea and airspace around the island.The $858 billion U.S. defense spending bill provides Taiwan with up to $10 billion in military grant assistance over five years and accelerates the weapons procurement process for the island, with which Washington has unofficial relations."