China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and Chinese president Xi Jinping has threatened to “reunite” the island with the mainland by force if necessary, while the democratically-elected government of Taiwan says only the island’s people can choose their future.

It is "impossible" for the People's Republic of China to become Taiwan's motherland because Taiwan has older political roots, the island's President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday.

China’s invasion of Taiwan could happen sooner than expected, and Taiwan’s military is unprepared to defend against it for long. Without significant American intervention, Taiwan will have little chance to prevent a full-scale invasion.