Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Saturday it had detected eight Chinese naval vessels and one official ship around the island, a day after US President Donald Trump concluded his high-profile visit to China amid discussions on Taiwan, trade and the Iran war.In a statement posted on Twitter, Taiwan’s MND said, “As of 6am today (UTC+8), 8 PLAN ships and 1 official ship were detected operating around #Taiwan. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded.”The ministry said no Chinese military aircraft were detected in the vicinity of Taiwan during this period. A day earlier, Taiwan reported the presence of seven Chinese naval vessels and one official ship near its territorial waters.

Trump-Xi talks put Taiwan in the spotlight again

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 nations” and said he believed China was unlikely to take aggressive action against Taiwan while he was in office.“I don’t think they’ll do anything when I’m here. When I’m not here. Honestly, I think they might do it,” Trump told Fox News after the summit.Trump also said that China does not want Taiwan to declare formal independence. “This is not a takeover. They just don’t want to see this place — we’ll call it a place because no one knows how to define it — but they don’t want to see it become independent,” he said.According to news agency AP, Xi privately warned Trump during the conversation that differences over Taiwan could potentially bring the US and China into confrontation or conflict.

Question on America’s support to Taiwan

Trump’s comments also raised new questions over Washington’s long-term policy toward Taiwan. The US President described Taiwan as “a bit of a difficult problem” because of China’s geographical and military advantage.“When you look at the barriers, China is a very, very powerful, big country. It’s a very small island. Think about it; it’s 59 miles away. We’re 9,500 miles away,” Trump told Fox News.Trump also confirmed that 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 is under review.

Tension continues between China and Taiwan

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to bring the self-ruled island under its control, including using force if necessary.However, Taiwan functions independently with its own government, military, and economy.The issue remains one of the biggest friction points in US-China relations.Beijing has increased military pressure around Taiwan in recent years through frequent naval and air force deployments near the island.