Taiwan gets ready for war in response to Chinese pressure

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-Te is set to increase the island's defense budget by 40 billion dollars to address significant pressure from China. President Lai has stated that China is intensifying its involvement in "grey areas" near Taiwan's territorial waters and that defending Taiwans's independence is his priority and should be Washington's as well.

After Trump took office for his second term, he urged allies to spend more of their own budgets for defense purposes and in particular stated that Taiwan should "pay" to be defended by the US. Japan, on the other hand, has appeared much more concerned about China's intentions in the area. President Xi has urged Trump to ease tensions with newly appointed japanese PM Sanae Takaichi amidst statements from Japan that hint at a possible direct intervention in case China moves against Taiwan.

Lai has also accused China of infiltrating Taiwanese society and politics in order to undermine its independence and Chinese officials have spoken about Taiwan's plan of military deterrence as "doomed to fail", believing Taiwan to be destined to be reabsorbed into mainland China.

China's hegemonic ambitions in Asia mirror a general shift in focus in all global powers, as territorial expansion has become a priority again, not only for Chinese and Russian autocrats but also for Trump.

Klevis Gjoka