Taiwan to prepare for combat by 2027, president says - as he warns China is preparing to take the country by force

Taiwan will prepare itself for combat within the next two years amid "intensifying" threats from China, the nation's president has declared.

Lai Ching-te held a news conference on Wednesday morning amid a ramping up of military and political pressure by Beijing, which views the democratically-governed island as its own territory.

Speaking after announcing plans to boost defence spending with a "special" $40bn (£30.6bn) budget, Mr Lai said Xi Jinping's regime was "speeding up military preparations to take Taiwan by force".

Image: Taiwan's first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks and (below) sea mines being loaded at a military base. Pics: Reuters

It comes after Mr Xi 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".

Taiwan has rejected that assertion, and the prospect of becoming part of China.

China has offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model, but this position is not supported by any mainstream political party.

That model is the principle under which Hong Kong has been governed by Beijing, but recent years have seen an increasing erosion of civil liberties there.

Such an arrangement is not supported by any mainstream political party in Taiwan.

Image: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. Pic: Reuters

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.

The supplementary defence budget will be spent on equipment including missiles and drones, as well as investment in artificial intelligence, with greater cooperation with the US.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:58 Does Trump care about Taiwan?

The US has not taken a side when it comes to Taiwan's sovereignty, but is opposed to any use of force to seize the territory. However, the Trump administration has also been ambiguous over whether it would deploy troops if any war broke out in the Taiwan Strait.

Washington has been pressuring Taiwan to increase its own defence spending, much as it has its allies in Europe.

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Mr Lai - who described relations with the US as "rock solid" - warned any attempt at compromise in the face of aggression "will only bring war".

He described "the most threatening scenario" not as military action, but giving up.