Taiwan's president is using the anniversary of a Cold War battle to press lawmakers for the island's biggest-ever military budget, a sign Taipei expects the threat from China to grow.

• President Lai Ching-te marked the 1958 Kinmen bombardment as proof that "peace is secured through strength," not by giving ground to Beijing.
• He asked rival parties to back a 2027 defense budget worth about $35 billion — a record, and just over 3% of the economy.
• His warning was blunt: peace deals bought with sovereignty bring humiliation, not safety.
• Kinmen sits less than 10 kilometers off China's coast, making it the most exposed piece of territory Taiwan holds.

Outlook: The budget fight now moves to Taiwan's legislature, where opposition parties control the votes and have trimmed defense spending before.