WASHINGTON, (AFP): China’s recent military drills around Taiwan have “unnecessarily” heightened regional tensions, the United States said, urging Beijing to halt what it described as mounting military pressure on the self-ruled island.
“China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. “We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue.”
Earlier this week, China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, naval vessels and coast guard ships in large-scale exercises encircling Taiwan, saying the drills simulated a blockade of the island’s main ports. Taiwan condemned the maneuvers as “highly provocative.”
China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control.
Reaffirming Washington’s position, Pigott said the United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo, “including by force or coercion.”
Beijing defended the exercises on Friday as “legitimate,” warning other countries to stop “stirring up trouble” over the Taiwan issue.
A Chinese defense ministry spokesman said relevant countries should “strictly abide by the one-China principle,” responding to calls for restraint, including from the United States. US President Donald Trump on Monday downplayed concerns over the drills, saying he was not worried about the possibility of an invasion. “I have a great relationship with President Xi, and he hasn’t told me anything about it,” Trump said, adding, “I don’t believe he’s going to be doing it.”China’s show of force followed the Trump administration’s approval of an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan.
The United States has long been committed to supporting Taiwan’s self-defense, while maintaining strategic ambiguity over whether it would militarily intervene in the event of an invasion. The latest drills mark China’s sixth major round of military exercises around Taiwan since 2022, when a visit by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked strong backlash from Beijing.
