By AFP and Focus | 2026-02-12

TAIPEI -- Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has warned that countries in the region would be China's next targets should Beijing seize the democratic island, as he insisted on the need for Taiwan to dramatically shore up its defenses.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the self-governed island under its control.

Speaking to AFP in his first interview with a global news agency since taking office in May 2024, Lai said he was confident parliament will approve an additional $40 billion budget to fund crucial defense purchases, including weapons from the United States.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned Washington against selling weapons to Taiwan, but Lai said the United States will stand by Taiwan and will not need to use it as a "bargaining chip" with Beijing.

Beijing condemned Lai's remarks, calling him a "peace disruptor, crisis creator and war instigator."

"Seeking independence through external means and resisting reunification by force is like an ant trying to shake a tree -- doomed to failure," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular briefing.

Lai said if China were to take Taiwan, Beijing would become "more aggressive, undermining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and the rules-based international order."

"If Taiwan were annexed by China, China's expansionist ambitions would not stop there," Lai told AFP during an exclusive interview on February 10 at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.

"The next countries under threat would be Japan, the Philippines and others in the Indo-Pacific region, with repercussions eventually reaching the Americas and Europe," he said.

'Peace-building effort'

Taiwan views its position in the strategic "first island chain" as critical to regional security and global trade, especially as China's territorial claims clash with neighbors and threaten the Taiwan Strait shipping lane.

The chain includes Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan, drawing a furious response from Beijing.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has warned the archipelago nation would "inevitably" be dragged into a war over Taiwan, noting US troop access to nine Philippine bases.

"In this changing world, nations belong to a global community -- a situation in any one country would inevitably impact another," Lai said.

Ahead of US President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Xi in Beijing in April, Lai said Taiwan welcomed any talks that helped maintain the status quo.

Lai credited Trump for "undertaking a difficult peace-building effort, which entails safeguarding US interests and deterring Chinese expansionism in the short term," Lai said.

Lai added that the United States did not need "to frame Taiwan as a bargaining chip in any discussions with China."

"In the context of US-China trade competition, China seeks far more from the US than the US does from China," he said.

'Deter aggression'

Despite cutting formal ties in 1979, the United States remains Taiwan's primary security backer while maintaining "strategic ambiguity" regarding direct military intervention.

Chinese military pressure has escalated under Xi, who links seizing Taiwan to his vision of the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

China deploys warships and fighter jets around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, and has launched six rounds of large-scale drills since 2022, most recently in December.

While Xi's recent purges of top generals are "indeed an unusual situation," Lai said they do not change Taiwan's urgent need to remain prepared for potential aggression.

"We must have the capability to deter China's aggression at any time," Lai said.

"We want to ensure that, for China, there is never a day that is a good day to invade Taiwan."

US relations 'rock solid'

Taiwan has invested many billions upgrading its military and expanding its defense industry. But the island's forces would be massively outnumbered and outgunned in a conflict with China.

Under US pressure, Lai has vowed to increase Taiwan's defense spending to more than 3% of GDP this year and 5% by 2030.

"Taiwan is responsible for safeguarding our own country," Lai told AFP, insisting the US-Taiwan relations were "rock solid." He expressed hopes for greater defense industry cooperation with Europe.

To reach the target, the government proposed a $40 billion, eight-year plan to fund initiatives like the "T-Dome" air defense system.

However, opposition parties have blocked the enabling legislation 10 times since December, leveraging their parliamentary majority to stymie the agenda.

US senators have criticized the deadlock, urging Taiwanese lawmakers to "work in good faith across party lines" to approve the measure.

Despite these delays, Lai expressed optimism that the budget will ultimately win approval.

"In a democratic society, every political party is ultimately accountable to the people," Lai said.

"I am therefore confident that this budget will win their support."