The US State Department said Chinese military exercises around Taiwan had “unnecessarily” raised tensions and called on Beijing to halt military pressure on the self-ruled island after President Donald Trump initially shrugged off concerns.
“China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region needlessly heighten tensions,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement on New Year’s Day, about 48 hours after the People’s Liberation Army ended exercises covering the largest combined area in decades.
The PLA simulated a blockade of the global smart hub for two days this week with a live-fire exercise surrounding the island. It fired long-range missiles into the Taiwan Strait – one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes – for the first time since 2022, although the exercise did not pick up the intensity of three years ago when China fired missiles over Taiwan.
Trump initially dismissed the drills as a continuation of long-standing Chinese activity. “They have been conducting naval exercises in this area for 20 years,” he said after Monday’s live-fire exercise, touting his “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The US leader’s comments contrasted with statements from other major democracies that criticized Beijing’s show of force. The European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand and Japan expressed their concerns several days before the US State Department. China has condemned the criticism, calling Taiwan – which Beijing considers its own territory – an “internal matter”.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed the support, saying in a statement that Taipei would “cooperate with the US and all like-minded countries to jointly uphold the rules-based international order.”
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest US statement.
The State Department’s response to the exercise came later than its condemnation of some of China’s previous exercises.
When Chinese forces began exercises around Taiwan in October last year and in April, the Foreign Ministry issued statements on the same day calling the actions “unjustified” provocations and destabilizing “intimidation tactics.”
In the next round of exercises in May last year, held shortly after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement a day after the drills, criticizing Beijing for “using a normal, routine and democratic transition as a pretext for military provocations.”
Beijing planned its latest maneuvers as a warning to “separatist forces” and “external interference” after the US unveiled an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan this month.
“We urge Beijing to maintain restraint, stop military pressure on Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it opposed changes to the status quo “by force or coercion”.
Beijing has stepped up diplomatic pressure and military aggression against Taiwan in recent years. Large-scale exercises in the PLA around the democracy of 23 million people have become a regular feature since then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the island in 2022.
Ties between the world’s biggest economies have stabilized in recent months after a turbulent year that saw tariffs rise sharply and both sides weaponize supply chains. A year-long truce has put that volatility on hold, and Trump is preparing to visit the world’s No. 2 economy in April. His comments about the drills suggest the U.S. wants to preserve the deal.
With help from Colum Murphy and Cindy Wang.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
