Trump Downplays China Concerns
President Donald Trump said Monday that he is not concerned about China’s latest military exercises near Taiwan, describing the activity as routine and long-standing rather than a sign of imminent conflict.
Speaking to reporters during a briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump emphasized his ongoing relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, noting that the Chinese president has not raised the issue with him directly.
“I have a very good relationship with President Xi, and he hasn’t mentioned anything about it,” Trump said. “I’ve seen what’s happening, but this is not something new.”
When asked whether the Chinese naval and air maneuvers worried him, Trump dismissed the concern outright.
“No. Nothing worries me,” he said.
Trump explained that China has conducted military drills in the region for decades and suggested that current political tensions may be causing the exercises to be interpreted more dramatically than in the past.
“They’ve been doing naval exercises in that area for 20, 25 years,” Trump said. “People may look at it differently now, but they’ve actually done larger exercises before.”
China’s military announced earlier Monday that it had deployed air, naval, and missile forces to conduct joint live-fire drills surrounding Taiwan. Beijing described the drills as a warning against separatist activity and what it called outside interference.
Taiwanese officials responded by placing their armed forces on alert, while accusing Beijing of escalating regional tensions. Taiwan’s aviation authority also said more than 100,000 international travelers could be affected by flight cancellations or diversions linked to the exercises.
The exercises come amid growing tensions fueled by reports of what could be the largest U.S. weapons package ever approved for Taiwan, along with remarks from Japan’s prime minister indicating Tokyo may respond militarily if China moves against the island.
China has long maintained that Taiwan must eventually come under Beijing’s control, a stance that remains one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.–China relations.
Trump’s comments reflect a familiar approach from the president — projecting calm, rejecting alarmist narratives, and framing China’s actions as predictable rather than provocative, even amid heightened global scrutiny.
