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Chinese warfare games astir Taiwan "unnecessarily" spiked tensions successful the region, the U.S. State Department said, calling connected Beijing to "cease its subject pressure."
"China's subject activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others successful the portion summation tensions unnecessarily," Tommy Pigott, main lawman spokesperson for the State Department, said successful a connection Thursday. "We impulse Beijing to workout restraint, cease its subject unit against Taiwan, and alternatively prosecute successful meaningful dialogue."
"The United States supports bid and stableness crossed the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the presumption quo, including by unit oregon coercion," helium added.
China claims that antiauthoritarian Taiwan is portion of its territory and has threatened to usage unit to annex it.
On Monday and Tuesday, Beijing launched missiles and deployed dozens of combatant jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels to encircle Taiwan's main island, saying the drills — code-named "Justice Mission 2025" — simulated a blockade of main Taiwanese ports.
Taipei condemned the exercises arsenic "highly provocative."
Chinese ships patrol arsenic the People's Liberation Army (PLA) behaviour subject drills connected Pingtan island, successful eastbound China's Fujian province, the closest constituent to Taiwan, connected Dec. 30, 2025.
ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump said Monday helium was not acrophobic astir the drills, appearing to brushwood speech the anticipation of counterpart Xi Jinping ordering an invasion.
"I person a large narration with President Xi. And helium hasn't told maine thing astir it. I surely person seen it," Mr. Trump told reporters erstwhile asked astir the exercises.
"I don't judge he's going to beryllium doing it," helium said successful evident notation to an invasion.
"They've been doing naval exercises for 20 years successful that area. Now radical instrumentality it a small spot differently," the president said.
The United States has been committed for decades to ensuring Taiwan's self-defense, portion staying ambiguous connected whether the U.S. subject itself would intervene successful an invasion. Beijing's amusement of unit came aft the Trump medication approved an $11 cardinal arms bundle for Taiwan.
China's latest subject workout was the sixth large circular of maneuvers since 2022, erstwhile a visit to Taiwan by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing.
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