The US State Department said on Thursday that Chinese military exercises near the Taiwan Strait this past week “unnecessarily” spiked tensions in the region, and urged Beijing to cease its military pressure on Taiwan.
US State Department spokesperson, Tammy Piggot, urged Beijing “to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue”.
“The US supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion,” Piggott said.
Beijing had launched a two-day military exercise around the island on Monday that involved the use of dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels. Taipei condemned the move, describing the exercises as “highly provocative”.
On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the “reunification” of Taiwan and China was “unstoppable”, which was slammed by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who vowed to defend the semi-independent island nation in case of Chinese invasion.
Also Read: ‘Reunification’ with Taiwan ‘unstoppable’, says Xi Jinping
China defended the drills on Thursday as legitimate and warned countries, including the United States, to “stop stirring up trouble on the Taiwan question”.
“We urge relevant countries and institutions to strictly abide by the One-China principle,” a Chinese defence ministry spokesman said in a statement responding to calls for restraint, including from the US.’
The recent exercises were the sixth major round of military activity since 2022, when a visit by then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei enraged Beijing.
For decades, China has considered Taiwan to be an inalienable part of its territory under the ‘One-China policy’.
The US too expressed concern about the military drills, which intended to send a clear message to Washington to desist from backing Taiwan after its largest-ever arms deal to Taipei.
US President Donald Trump said he was confident that China would not invade Taiwan.
“I have a great relationship with President Xi. And he hasn’t told me anything about it. I don’t believe he’s going to be doing it,” Trump said.
Analysts say China continues to build capabilities for a potential invasion of Taiwan by or before the end of 2027, with an offensive scale the world may not have seen before.
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