Lai Ching-te

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Wednesday that China was attempting to force the self-ruled island into submission but that it would not bow to pressure.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring it under Beijing's control.

The U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs held rare direct talks in Singapore on Friday, offering hopes for more military dialogue that could help prevent disputes over Taiwan and other flashpoint issues from spinning out of control.

China has ended two days of military drills around Taiwan that saw jets loaded with live munitions and warships practise seizing and isolating the self-ruled island.

The exercises simulated strikes targeting Taiwan's leaders as well as its ports and airports to "cut off the island's 'blood vessels'", Chinese military analysts told state media.

An outdoor screen shows a news coverage of China's military drills around Taiwan, in Beijing on May 23, 2024.

China warned on Friday that Taiwan's leadership was pushing the self-ruled island into "a perilous situation of war and danger" and that it would go "further" if provoked, as Beijing conducted military drills around the territory.

Taiwanese air force Mirage 2000 fighter jets wait for take off at a base in Hsinchu in northern Taiwan on May 23, 2024.

China on Thursday encircled Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft in war games, as it vowed the blood of "independence forces" on the self-ruled island would flow.

Taiwan's freshly sworn-in president, Lai Ching-te, delivered a stern message to China, calling for an end to its military and political threats, as detailed in a report by Reuters. Lai used his inaugural speech as a platform to emphasize the imperative of peace, stressing that China must acknowledge and respect the democratic decisions made by the people of Taiwan.

New Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Monday hailed the arrival of a "glorious era" for the island's democracy, as he called on China to cease political and military intimidation.

In an inauguration speech, Lai also directly addressed the threat of war following years of growing pressure from China's to bring Taiwan under mainland rule.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday met U.S. delegates who arrived on the island on the heels of an election won by a pro-sovereignty candidate who Beijing said would bring war to the self-ruled island.

Taiwan's ruling party candidate Lai Ching-te, branded a threat to peace by China, on Saturday won the island's presidential election, a vote watched closely from Beijing to Washington.

Lai delivered an unprecedented third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after a raucous campaign in which he pitched himself as the defender of Taiwan's democratic way of life.

Millions of Taiwanese voted Saturday for a new president in the face of threats from China that choosing the wrong leader could set the stage for war on the self-ruled island.