Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Thursday vowed to resist Chinese annexation of his self-governing island nation as Taiwan celebrated its 113th National Day, provoking a harsh response from Beijing.

President William Lai has pledged to uphold Taiwan's self-governing status in his most high-profile public address since taking office earlier this year. In a thinly-veiled reference to China's claim over the island,

Taiwan’s new president Lai Ching-te pledged on Thursday to “resist annexation” in the face of growing military and economic pressure from Beijing to assert its territorial claims over the East Asian democracy.