Thousands of people took to the streets in Taipei, Taiwan's capital, on Saturday to demand higher defence spending, as the self-ruled island faces mounting military pressure from mainland China and growing uncertainty over American security commitments. The rally came after a senior US military official announced that Washington was pausing a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, citing a need to conserve munitions amid its ongoing conflict with Iran.

Adding to the sense of urgency, Taiwan's National Security Council chief Joseph Wu disclosed that China had mobilised more than one hundred warships and coast guard vessels across the Yellow Sea, the South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. Wu said the naval build-up had intensified following US President Donald Trump's recent visit to Beijing for a bilateral summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A senior Taiwanese security official confirmed to AFP that Chinese vessels had been detected in the area before the summit, but that their numbers had grown significantly in the days since.

The geopolitical backdrop is deeply complex. China regards Taiwan — which has its own government, military, and democratic institutions — as a breakaway province that must eventually be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. A spokesperson for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated in March that China would never renounce the use of military force, while stating that peaceful reunification remained its primary goal. Beijing did not publicly respond to Wu's latest statements.

The role of the United States has become an acute source of anxiety in Taipei. Washington does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 — a US law requiring that America provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. After his Beijing meetings, Trump said he had not yet decided whether to approve a new arms package for the island, and pointedly declined to answer whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.