Taiwan's president used the 68th anniversary of the 1958 Kinmen artillery battle to promise a tougher defense line, drawing immediate fire from the opposition — a sign the island's political split over how to handle China is widening.

• Lai Ching-te marked the anniversary in Kinmen by vowing that Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu will not give up "one inch," and promised more spending on defense.
• The KMT hit back, asking why he stays silent on Scarborough Shoal and has never visited Taiping Island in the South China Sea.
• The opposition says the tough talk is aimed only at Beijing, while the Philippines draws new sea baselines and Japan and Manila negotiate over waters east of Taiwan.
• The KMT also accused Lai of splitting the island at home and of raising war risk by pushing a "two states" framing of cross-strait relations.
• Its answer is a return to the ROC constitution and the 1992 consensus as the basis for restarting talks with China.

Outlook: Expect the fight over defense spending and South China Sea claims to stay a central dividing line as Taiwan heads deeper into its next election cycle.