Yimou Lee
TAIPEI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday the island is determined to defend its sovereignty and boost its defence in the face of China's increasing expansion, after Beijing fired rockets towards the island as part of military drills.
The international community is watching to see whether the Taiwanese people possess the resolve to defend themselves, Lai said in a New Year's speech broadcast live from the presidential office in Taipei. The U.S. State Department said later on Thursday that China's military activities near Taiwan and others in the region "increase tensions unnecessarily" and urged Beijing to halt military pressure against the democratically governed island.
"As president, my stance has always been clear: to resolutely defend national sovereignty and strengthen national defence," Lai said, noting China had targeted Taiwan's newly added combat capabilities as a "hypothetical adversary" in their drills this week.
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