Chinese President Xi Jinping stated on Saturday that "reunification" with Taiwan must be realized and will be realized, asserting that this aligns with the core interests of the Taiwanese people. Last Wednesday, Taiwan's Minister of Defense, Chiu Kuo-cheng, stated that China would be capable of launching a full-scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025, describing the current tensions as the worst in 40 years. Chiu noted that while China is currently capable, it would be fully prepared to invade within three years. Over four days starting Friday, the same day China celebrated a major national holiday, Beijing sent approximately 150 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, marking a record escalation of military activity in the gray area, according to The Guardian.
Beijing claims Taiwan is a Chinese province and has vowed to reclaim it by force if necessary, accusing its democratically elected government of being separatist, while the Taiwanese government maintains it is already a sovereign state and sees no need to declare independence. On Tuesday, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen wrote that Taiwan would not be an "adventure" but would do "whatever it takes" to defend itself. As speculation increases that China may take action regarding Taiwan, the timing and nature of such a move are hotly debated among analysts and government figures. Chiu's comments came as Taiwan's Legislative Yuan reviewed a special defense budget bill worth NT$240 billion (US$8.6 billion). About two-thirds of the budget will be spent on anti-ship weapons such as ground-launched missile systems, including a plan for an NT$148.9 billion investment in the production of domestically-made missiles and "high-performance" ships in large quantities.
