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,” President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview published today.

“If Taiwan were annexed by China, China’s expansionist ambitions would not stop there,” Lai told Agence France-Presse in an exclusive interview 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.

Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters

“In this changing world, nations belong to a global community — a situation in any one country would inevitably impact another,” he said.

“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.”

“Taiwan is responsible for safeguarding our own country,” Lai said, adding that Taiwan-US relations are “rock solid.”

He also expressed hopes for greater defense industry cooperation with Europe.

The government has proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.81 billion) more in defense spending over eight years that would fund, among other things, a multi-layered air defense system dubbed the “T-Dome.”

Lai said he is confident that the Legislative Yuan would approve the special defense budget to fund crucial defense purchases, including weapons from the US.

“In a democratic society, every political party is ultimately accountable to the people,” he said.

Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing in April, Lai said that Taiwan welcomes any talks that helped maintain the “status quo.”

“We believe President Trump is undertaking a difficult peace-building effort, which entails safeguarding US interests and deterring Chinese expansionism in the short term,” Lai said.

The US does not need “to frame Taiwan as a bargaining chip in any discussions with China,” he added.

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