Taiwan is preparing itself for war with China within the next two years, the country's President has confirmed, as tensions continue to escalate between the two countries.
President Lai Ching-te announced plans to boost defence spending with a $40billion (£30.6billion) budget, he told a press conference today.
"There is no room for compromise on national security," he said. "National sovereignty and the core values of freedom and democracy are the very foundation of our nation."
It comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping used a phone call with Donald Trump to describe Taiwan's return to mainland China as "an integral part of the post-war international order".
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to annex it, even by force if required. Taiwan’s democratically elected government strongly rejects China’s stance.
"It is a struggle between defending democratic Taiwan and refusing to submit to becoming 'China's Taiwan'," Mr Lai said on Wednesday.
China is said to have offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model, similar to that of Hong Kong - this has been flatly rejected by Mr Lai.
No mainstream party in Taiwan is in favour of this proposal, either.
President Lai Ching-te announced plans to boost defence spending with a £30.6billion budget, as Taiwan prepares itself for war with China within the next two years
|REUTERS
In response to the heightened tensions, Mr Lai said the government will work to counter any attempts at "repression" by China, and achieve a "high level of combat preparedness" by 2027, helped by the increased defence spending.
The new budget is set to be spent on equipment such as missiles and drones, artificial intelligence, and the country will embark on greater cooperation with the US.
The US is yet to take a stance on the conflict, but has encouraged Taiwan to scale up its defence spending, as have its other allies in Europe.
It has remained clear that the US opposes land being taken by force, but has not yet laid out whether boots would be deployed on the ground if necessary.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping used a recent phone call with Donald Trump to describe Taiwan's return to mainland China as 'an integral part of the post-war international order'
|REUTERS
Washington, however, remains the island’s most important partner and arms supplier.
Mr Lai has previously described relations with the US as "rock solid", adding: "Before his trip to Asia, President Trump specifically emphasised that 'Taiwan is Taiwan' and President Trump [said he] personally respects Taiwan. These two brief statements say it all."
He also warned that any attempt at Chinese annexation through aggression "will only bring war".
And Taiwan isn't alone in thinking so.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked controversy in China when she suggested that an attack on Taiwan could prompt military action from Japan
| REUTERSEarlier in the month, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Japan.
China significantly ramped up diplomatic pressure following the comments, with China's consul general in Osaka declaring that "the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off" - a remark that prompted an official protest from Tokyo.
The Japanese ambassador was then summoned to China for the first time in over two years, while China's defence ministry warned that any Japanese intervention would be destined to fail.
Beijing described Ms Takaichi's comments as "dangerously provocative".
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