Kamal Ghorui
Taiwan’s ministry of national defense (MND) on Saturday said it detected eight Chinese naval vessels and one official ship operating around the island, a day after US President Donald Trump concluded his high-profile visit to China dominated by discussions on Taiwan, trade and the Iran war.In a statement posted on X, Taiwan’s MND said, “8 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around #Taiwan detected up until 6 am (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded.”The ministry added that no Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan during the period. A day earlier, Taiwan had reported the presence of seven Chinese naval vessels and one official ship near its territorial waters.
Trump-Xi talks put Taiwan back in spotlight
The latest military activity came shortly after Trump returned from Beijing following meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Taiwan remained one of the most sensitive issues on the agenda.Trump described the summit as a meeting between “two great countries” and said he believed China was unlikely to take aggressive action against Taiwan while he remained in office.“I don’t think they’ll do anything when I’m here. When I’m not here. I think they might, to be honest with you,” Trump told Fox News after the summit.Trump also said China did not want Taiwan to declare formal independence. “It’s not a takeover. They just don’t want to see this place — we’ll call it a place because nobody knows how to define it — but they don’t want to see it go independent,” he said.According to news agency AP, Xi privately warned Trump during the talks that differences over Taiwan could potentially bring the US and China into confrontation or conflict.
Questions over US support for Taiwan
Trump’s comments also raised fresh questions over Washington’s long-standing policy towards Taiwan. The US President described Taiwan as “a little bit of a difficult problem” because of China’s geographical and military advantage.“When you look at the odds, China is a very, very powerful, big country. That’s a very small island. Think of it; it’s 59 miles away. We’re 9,500 miles away,” Trump told Fox News.Trump also confirmed he had not yet decided whether to proceed with a previously approved US arms package for Taiwan after hearing Xi’s objections during the visit.The proposed arms sale remains under review.
China-Taiwan tensions remain high
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to bring the self-governed island under its control, including by force if necessary.Taiwan, however, functions independently with its own government, military and economy.The issue remains one of the biggest flashpoints in US-China relations.Beijing has increased military pressure around Taiwan in recent years through frequent naval and air force deployments near the island.
