Taiwan's President announced a commitment to protect sovereignty following China's military drills around Taiwan last week and missile launches aimed at the island.
On Thursday, 1 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said Taiwan is determined to defend its sovereignty and enhance self-defense capabilities to counter China's growing influence after Beijing conducted military exercises and missile launches toward Taiwan.
The Taiwan leader made these remarks during a New Year's speech broadcast live from the Presidential Office in Taipei, adding that the international community is watching closely to see if Taiwanese people remain committed to self-defense.
“As President, my position has always been clear: to resolutely defend the nation's sovereignty and strengthen national defense,” Lai said, noting that China used Taiwan's newly enhanced military capabilities as a “simulated enemy” during last week's exercises.
Lai added this underscores the need to procure additional military equipment and called on opposition parties to support his plan to increase the defense budget by $40 billion, a proposal currently stalled amid political deadlock as the opposition holds the parliamentary majority.
“Whether China will achieve its goals on schedule is another matter,” Lai said when asked about U.S. reports stating China is preparing to have the capability to win a conflict over Taiwan by 2027 (CE 2570).
“The coming year 2026 (CE 2569) will be a crucial year for Taiwan,” Lai stated, adding that Taiwan must “prepare for the worst-case scenarios while holding hope for the best.”
“We are willing to engage in exchanges and cooperation with China based on equality and dignity to promote a peaceful and stable environment in the Taiwan Strait,” Lai said. “As long as China recognizes the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and respects the will of the Taiwanese people to live a democratic and free life.”
China has consistently asserted that Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, while Taiwan has continuously rejected China's claims.
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Source:cna