Taiwan's president used the anniversary of a Cold War-era battle with China to reject any peace deal that trades away sovereignty — a hard line that signals more defense spending and no talks on Beijing's terms.

• Lai Ching-te said peace never falls from the sky, and a surrender-style peace deal would bring only humiliation, not real peace.
• He warned that even in calm times, forgetting war is dangerous, and called the 1958 victory proof that strength is what keeps the peace.
• China is pressing harder around Kinmen with coast guard patrols in a gray-zone campaign that stops short of open conflict.
• Beijing's military pressure has widened beyond Taiwan itself to the first island chain and the wider Indo-Pacific, unsettling neighboring countries.
• Lai tied the message to more defense investment and public backing for the military.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep raising defense spending and refusing political talks with Beijing, while Chinese pressure around Kinmen and the wider region continues.