Trump and Xi Jinping. AFP Yonhap News

On the 1st (local time), the US government stated in response to China's "Taiwan encirclement drills," "We urge China to exercise restraint, cease military pressure on Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue."

The US Department of State, through a statement from Deputy Spokesperson Cale Brown, said, "China's military activities and rhetoric directed at Taiwan and other countries in the region are unnecessarily escalating tensions."

It further stated, "The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes any unilateral change to the status quo by force or coercion."

This marks the first official statement from the Trump administration regarding China's recent "Taiwan encirclement military drills," and it came after the drills had concluded.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army conducted live-fire exercises and other drills from the 29th to the 31st of last month, mobilizing land, sea, air, and rocket forces in a manner that encircled Taiwan.

It has been analyzed that this was an expression of dissatisfaction and a warning message to both the US and Taiwan, following the US's recent approval of a record-breaking $11.105 billion (approximately 16 trillion won) arms sale to Taiwan.

When asked about the Chinese military's "Taiwan encirclement drills" on the 29th of last month, President Donald Trump stated, "Nothing concerns me," adding, "China has been conducting naval exercises in that region for 20 years."

Following friction between the US and China over the US decision to sell a large quantity of arms to Taiwan, and with the Trump administration issuing a public statement criticizing China's "Taiwan encirclement drills," the relationship between the two countries appears to be strained ahead of US-China summit diplomacy this year, including President Trump's planned visit to China in April.