The U.S. says it is very confident that it can protect its interests in the Indo-Pacific region, even as China ramps up aggression and surrounds Taiwan.

The U.S. is very confident it can protect American interests in the Indo-Pacific as the Chinese military surrounds Taiwan, the White House said Thursday.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby offered the assessment to reporters during a Monday briefing. China is conducting extensive and ongoing military drills around the self-governed island throughout the past week, going so far as to simulate strikes on the island this past weekend.

"How does the U.S. see these latest Chinese military exercises and is the U.S. confident that Taiwan and help from the U.S. could continue to deter China from a military solution?" a reporter asked. "Their saber-rattling as we call it was a lot more than sabers, and it's more than rattling."

"We're monitoring the exercises closely, as you might imagine," Kirby responded, adding that they were a needless reaction to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's recent visit to the U.S. that sparked angry warnings from China.