China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing's control.
Friday's 66th anniversary of the Chinese assault on the Kinmen islands -- known as the "823 bombardment" after the date on which it began -- comes as China has ramped up military and political pressure on Taiwan in recent years.
Controlled by Taiwan, the islands lie just five kilometres (three miles) from the Chinese coast.
Lai, who took office in May, laid a wreath to commemorate the bombardment's victims at a cemetery during his first trip to Kinmen as president.
China's People's Liberation Army fired 470,000 shells at Kinmen and nearby islets in 1958, killing 618 servicemen and civilians in an attack that lasted 44 days.
"We must be determined to protect Taiwan" and carry on the spirit of the soldiers who faced the 823 bombardment, he said at a banquet attended by veterans and their families.
"At present, the threat Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu face from China is no less than previous years," he said, referring to other outlying island chains under Taipei's control.
"If we want to resist the threat from China in the future, we must unite as one... We have only one goal -- defend national sovereignty and safeguard democracy".
Lai has been labelled a "dangerous separatist" by China for his staunch defence of Taiwan's sovereignty, and Beijing conducted large-scale military drills around the island just days after his inauguration.
Taiwan's military has been reporting near-daily sightings of Chinese warships around its waters, as well as sorties by fighter jets and drones around the island.
On Friday, the defence ministry said 41 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels were detected in a 24-hour window ending at 6:00 am (2200 GMT Thursday).
A second statement said a further 27 aircraft had been spotted since as Beijing conducted a "joint combat patrol" drill.
"The armed forces have monitored the situation and employed aircraft, Navy vessels and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities," it said in the statement.
Taiwan sentences eight soldiers for spying for China
Taipei (AFP) Aug 22, 2024 -
Eight Taiwanese military servicemen were sentenced on Thursday to up to 13 years in prison for spying for Beijing, with the court saying they did it for the money.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has ramped up military and political pressures on the democratic island in recent years.
The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war and have been spying on each other since.
The defendants in Thursday's sentencing were active-duty soldiers "willing to collect intelligence for China that caused the leak of important secrets," a Taiwan High Court statement said. "They were seduced by money."
Among them was a man surnamed Hsiao, who was the key to recruiting soldiers to join "a network for China" to gather and hand over information, the court said.
He received the heaviest jail term: 13 years.
Another was sentenced to five-and-a-half years for shooting a "psychological warfare video to indicate his willingness to surrender to the People's Liberation Army", while one man received a nine-year sentence for "conspiring to defect" to China by flying a military helicopter.
"Their actions violated their official duties of being loyal to the country, defending the country and the people... to seriously endanger national security and the well-being of the people of Taiwan," the court said.
All eight men can appeal the ruling.
Prosecutors had initially indicted 10 people in November in the case. One was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
The other -- a retired soldier surnamed Chen -- was identified as the person who enlisted Hsiao.
But the court said it would handle Chen's case separately after he fled to China. He is currently wanted in Taiwan.
Thursday's sentencing was the latest in a recent string of spying cases.
Last month, a sergeant who worked at a navy training centre was indicted for allegedly photographing and leaking confidential defence information to Beijing.
US warship sails through sensitive Taiwan Strait
Taipei (AFP) Aug 22, 2024 -
A US warship sailed through a sensitive waterway separating Taiwan from China on Thursday, the US Navy said, as a way to demonstrate Washington's "commitment to upholding freedom of navigation".
China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and has in recent years upped military pressures by sending in increasing numbers of fighter jets, drones and naval vessels around the island.
Thursday's transit of the 180-kilometre (110-mile) Taiwan Strait comes as the United States and its allies have increased crossings to reinforce its status as an international waterway, angering Beijing.
The voyage by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson showed Washington's "commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle", the US Navy's Seventh Fleet said in a statement Thursday.
"No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms."
Taiwan's defence ministry confirmed that the warship sailed south to north, and that "no anomaly was detected in our surroundings".
Beijing's People's Liberation Army dismissed the transit as "a public hype" and said its Eastern Theatre Command "organised naval and air forces to tail and stand guard against the US ship's passage throughout the entire process".
Chinese troops "are on constant high alert to resolutely defend national sovereignty," it said in a statement.
A Canadian Halifax-class frigate conducted last month "a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait", a move condemned by the Chinese military.
Beijing has said it would never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in recent years, upping the rhetoric of "unification" being "inevitable".
In response, Taiwan has strengthened economic and political ties with its partners -- most notably the United States, its biggest weapons provider -- while increasing its defence budget.
On Thursday, the island's cabinet approved a record-high defence budget of NT$647 billion (US$20.2 billion) for next year, an increase of six percent compared to 2024.
President Lai Ching-te said this month that the budget reflected Taiwan's "determination to improve our self-defense capabilities... to ensure peace and prosperity".
The amount would still need to be scrutinised and approved by Taiwan's fractious parliament, where Lai's Democratic Progressive Party no longer holds a majority.
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