“The US supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion,” Pigott said.
China again defended the drills as “legitimate” on Friday, and warned countries to “stop stirring up trouble on the Taiwan Strait issue”.
“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.
US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not concerned about China’s live-fire drills, appearing to brush aside the possibility of counterpart Xi Jinping ordering an invasion.
“I have a great relationship with President Xi. And he hasn’t told me anything about it,” Trump told reporters when asked about the exercises.
“I don’t believe he’s going to be doing it,” Trump said in apparent reference to an invasion.
Beijing’s show of force came after the Trump administration approved a US$11 billion arms package for Taiwan.
The US has been committed for decades to ensuring Taiwan’s self-defence, while staying ambiguous on whether the US military would intervene in an invasion.
China’s latest exercises were the sixth major round of manoeuvres since 2022, when a visit to Taiwan by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing.
