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.

Taiwan's leader Lai Ching-te vowed on Thursday to "resist annexation," as China exerts growing military and political pressure on the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory. China has not ruled out using force to bring the democratic island under its control,

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.