Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said tougher measures are needed to counter stepped-up Chinese infiltration, spying and other efforts to weaken the island's defenses and speed Beijing's goal of taking control of the self-governing island republic,

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday China has deepened its influence campaigns and infiltration against the democratic island, pledging measures to tackle Beijing's efforts to "absorb" Taiwan.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday China has deepened its influence campaign and infiltration against the democratic island, adding his government will propose various measures to counter Beijing efforts to "absorb" Taiwan.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said the government will work to let military tribunals operate in peacetime and announced a tightening of rules governing exchanges with China, underscoring growing concerns about Beijing’s operations on the island and in its armed forces.

Taiwan plans to reinstate military judges to hear Chinese espionage cases involving Taiwanese service members, President Lai Ching-te said Thursday.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te on Thursday vowed to bolster the country's national security in response, including reinstatement of the military trials, to what he described as the "unchanged" annexation ambitions of the "hostile foreign force" China,