News blog about US politics
USA comments on China’s threatening behavior against Taiwan
Updated on January 1, 2026 – 10:48 p.mReading time: 7 minutes
China’s Taiwan maneuver raises concerns in the West. Trump backs down on tariff threat. All developments in the news blog.
The new New York mayor Zohran Mamdani announced at the beginning of his term that he wanted to demonstrate the practicality of left-wing politics. The 34-year-old said in his inauguration speech on Thursday that he wanted to set an example that “the left knows how to govern.”
“We will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else: we will set an example for the world,” said Mamdani, who, as an avowed socialist, represents the antithesis of right-wing populist President Donald Trump.
In his 24-minute speech, the new city leader emphasized the fight against the high cost of living as a core issue in his agenda. He would help those “who have been betrayed by the established order,” he said, referring to the economic hardships faced by many residents of the largest city in the United States.
The USA has criticized the latest major Chinese maneuver around Taiwan. China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and other countries in the region are “unnecessarily increasing tensions,” US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said on Thursday. He called on Beijing to “exercise restraint, end its military pressure on Taiwan and instead engage in constructive dialogue.”
The Chinese army held exercises with dozens of fighter jets and naval ships around the democratically ruled island of Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday and also fired missiles. The blockade of important Taiwanese ports and attacks on targets at sea were simulated. Observers viewed the exercises, among other things, as a reaction to a recent US arms package worth billions for Taipei. According to a US press release, the package includes, among other things, missile and artillery systems, anti-tank weapons, drones and other military equipment and support services.
A number of Western states – including Germany, France and Australia as well as the EU – expressed concern about the large-scale maneuver. China sharply rejected international criticism on Thursday. The countries and institutions in question knowingly ignored that “separatist forces in Taiwan are trying to achieve independence through military means,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his New Year’s message that “the reunification” of China with Taiwan is “unstoppable.”
