In brief
In a recent press conference, Donald Trump downplayed the significance of China's military drills around Taiwan, emphasizing his strong rapport with Xi Jinping. The drills come shortly after the U.S. announced a large arms sale to Taiwan, which has raised tensions with Beijing. Trump stated that such military exercises have been common for years, and he is unfazed by the maneuvers, which are viewed as a show of force by China. Meanwhile, the Chinese military exercises are intended to simulate potential blockades and assert pressure against Taiwan's independence.
US President Donald Trump said he is not worried about Beijing's military drills around Taiwan, choosing to instead highlight his rapport with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
I have a great relationship with President Xi, and he hasn't told me anything about [the drills]. I certainly have seen it, Trump told reporters at a press conference on Monday.
No, nothing worries me. They've been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area, he said.
The two-day war games kicked off on Monday - nearly two weeks after the US announced one of its largest-ever arms sale to Taiwan. The sale had angered Beijing, which sees the self-governed island as a breakaway province.
China's military exercises on Tuesday will see it run 10 hours of live-firing exercises in the sea and airspace of five locations surrounding the island.
Its Eastern Theater Command in charge of the Taiwan Strait said it has lined up destroyers, frigates and fighter-bombers to test the military's sea-air coordination and integrated containment capabilities.
The war games, which simulate the seizure and blockade of the island's key areas, are described by the Chinese military as a warning against Taiwan independence separatist forces and external interference.
Taiwan's presidential office has criticized the drills, calling them a challenge to international norms.
China has long vowed to reunify with Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force to take it.
It has recently ramped up pressure over Taipei with military drills and regular incursions into its waters and airspace. Taiwan in turn has plans to boost defense spending to modernize its armed forces.
While Trump has downplayed Beijing's ongoing drills, his administration had recently announced an $11bn (£8.2bn) weapons package to Taiwan, which includes advanced rocket launchers, self-propelled howitzers, and a variety of missiles.
The US has formal ties with Beijing rather than Taiwan, and has walked a tight diplomatic rope for decades. However, it remains a powerful ally of Taiwan and the island's biggest arms supplier.
China hit back at the sale with sanctions on several US defense firms. Its foreign ministry also stated that any attempt to contain China by using Taiwan will absolutely not succeed.
