President Donald Trump said Monday there's not much to the Chinese military exercise near Taiwan.
"Well, I have a great relationship with President Xi [Jinping], and he hasn't told me anything about it. I certainly have seen it, but he hasn't told me anything about it," Trump told reporters in a briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Asked if he was worried about the Chinese naval and air training, he replied: "No, nothing worries me. Nothing."
The president said in reality it's business as usual for China, which "has been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area."
Trump added that some people might interpret Chinese intentions differently today, but that does not change the big picture.
"Now people take it a little bit differently, but in fact, larger than they're doing right now. So we'll see. But they've been doing that for 20, 25 years," he said.
China's military on Monday dispatched air, naval, and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island of Taiwan, which Beijing called a "stern warning" against separatist and "external interference" forces.
Taiwan said it was placing its forces on alert and called the Chinese government "the biggest destroyer of peace."
Taiwan's aviation authority said more than 100,000 international air travelers would be affected by flight cancellations or diversions.
The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at what could be the largest-ever U.S. arms sale to the self-ruled territory and at a statement by Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.
China has long maintained that Taiwan must come under its rule.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.