China denies Trump's claim that he will not take Taiwan during his term

JAKARTA - The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied US President Donald Trump's statement that President Xi Jinping would not try to seize Taiwan as long as he was president.

"The Taiwan issue is entirely China's internal affair. The way to solve it is the business of the Chinese people themselves and does not tolerate outside interference," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning, quoted by Antara.

This was conveyed in response to Trump's statement to The New York Times media that said "He (President Xi Jinping) will probably do it after we have a different president, but I don't feel he will do it when I am president".

"Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory," Mao Ning said.

In the interview, Trump said "It's up to him (Xi), what he's going to do. However, I have conveyed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don't think he would do it."

The US is known to have sold more than 11 billion US dollars (about Rp183.9 trillion) in weapons and related equipment on December 17, 2025. For this action, the Chinese government has expressed strong protest to the US.

The US package includes eight weapon systems, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and Javelin antitank missiles, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which has notified Congress of the plan following a decision by the US State Department.

In addition to 82 HIMARS units and more than 1,000 Javelin missiles, the package also includes 60 swagerak howitzer systems and related equipment with a value of more than 4 billion US dollars (Rp66.9 trillion).

The sale is intended to increase Taiwan's ability to meet current and future threats by strengthening its self-defense forces.

In addition, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) also conducted military exercises surrounding Taiwan Island on December 29, 2025 as a stern warning against the separatist forces of "Taiwan independence" and the intervention of external forces.

In addition to military exercises, China has also imposed sanctions on 20 US military companies and 10 corporate executives related to arms sales to Taiwan.