‘Nothing worries me’: Trump says China’s Xi didn’t tell him about drills near Taiwan despite ‘great’ relations
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Nothing worries me’: Trump says China’s Xi didn’t tell him about drills near Taiwan despite ‘great’ relations")
US President Donald Trump Photograph: (AFP)
Beijing has said that the military drills are aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island’s key ports and assaults on maritime targets.
US President Donald Trump on Monday (Dec 29) said that he is not worried about China conducting military drills near Taiwan. He added that he shares a “great” relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but he was not informed about the drills around the island, which China is seeking to seize. On Tuesday (Dec 30), China conducted a second live-fire drill as tensions rise with the island. Beijing has said that the military drills are aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island’s key ports and assaults on maritime targets.
“I have a great relationship with President Xi [Jinping], and he hasn't told me anything about [the drills]. I certainly have seen it,” Trump told reporters during a press conference on Monday.
“No, nothing worries me. They’ve been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area,” he added.
The two-day drills, which have been termed as “Justice Mission 2025” drew condemnation from Taipei as “military intimidation”. China’s top diplomat said that Beijing would “forcefully counter” large-scale US weapons sales to Taiwan.
“In response to the continuous provocations by pro-independence forces in Taiwan and the large-scale US arms sales to Taiwan, we must of course, resolutely oppose and forcefully counter them,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech on Tuesday.
He added that any attempt to stop China’s unification with Taiwan “will inevitably end in failure.”
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Meanwhile, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has vowed on Tuesday that his territory would not “provoke” or “escalate the conflict”.
“In response to the Chinese authorities’ disregard for international norms and the use of military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries, Taiwan expresses its strong condemnation,” Taiwan’s Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said in a statement a day earlier.
Taiwan said that it detected 130 Chinese military aircraft near the island within 24 hours. It also said that a total of 14 Chinese navy ships and eight unspecified vessels were spotted.
