China fires a warning to the U.S. and simulates Taiwan blockade, though Trump says he’s ‘not worried’

“Because of this unprecedented amount, I think China felt that it needs to respond,” she told NBC News in a phone interview.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that Beijing must “resolutely oppose and forcefully counter” actions such as the U.S. arms package.

Chinese ground forces on Tuesday conducted long-range live-fire drills in waters north of Taiwan that “achieved desired effects,” said Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command.

The command said it used bomber aircraft and warships to conduct drills that included strikes on maritime targets as well as anti-air and anti-submarine operations in waters to the north and south of Taiwan. The drills “tested capabilities of sea-air coordination and integrated blockade and control,” it said.

According to Chinese state media, the Type 075 amphibious assault ship was also deployed for the first time.

In addition to the simulated blockade and joint combat readiness, this week’s drill includes a new focus on “all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain,” Shen said, a reference to deterring U.S. military involvement in a potential Taiwan invasion.

U.S.-China relations are in a state of truce after Trump and Xi met in South Korea in October, during which they agreed to a one-year extension of lower reciprocal tariffs. Trump has said he will visit China in April, followed by a visit to the U.S. by Xi later in the year.

Both leaders “are invested in maintaining stable relations,” Shen said, and China’s latest exercises are unlikely to change that.

Though Trump sees Taiwan as an “element” of U.S.-China relations, it is not his main concern, she said.

“His top priority is to reach some kind of trade agreement with China, and he doesn’t want any other thing to get in the middle of that,” Shen said.

Trump has notably refrained from expressing public support for Japan after its prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, outraged Beijing last month by saying that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response.

Similarly, Beijing initially responded to the new U.S. arms package for Taiwan with sanctions on 20 U.S. defense-related companies and 10 executives that are mostly symbolic.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday on X that it had detected 130 Chinese military aircraft and 22 naval and coast guard vessels in the 24 hours to 6 a.m.

This is China’s first major exercise around Taiwan since “Strait Thunder,” a two-day operation held in April after Lai called China a “foreign hostile force.”

China also held two major exercises last year called “Joint Sword” — one after Lai was inaugurated in May and one after his first National Day speech in October.

It is China’s sixth major round of war games since 2022, when Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker at the time, visited Taiwan over Beijing’s objections. During those exercises China fired missiles over Taiwan, which it has not done so far this time.

But this is the first time since 2022 that China announced “maritime exclusion zones” through which planes and boats were not allowed to pass during the live-fire drills on Tuesday. Five of the seven zones overlap with Taiwan’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, according to Eurasia Group.

“The overall trend is very clear, which is that China is trying to push the boundary of how close can it get its military planes and vessels to Taiwan,” Shen said.

While this week’s exercise is in line with China’s intensifying military pressure on Taiwan, it should not be viewed as a sign that China plans a full-on attack on the island in the near future, she said.

“I think a Chinese invasion of Taiwan still remains very unlikely,” Shen said. “The primary objective of this exercise is for China to warn the U.S. about its further support of Taiwan.”