A former head of US Strategic Command warned that China's behavior around Taiwan is getting more aggressive, and that political infighting over defense only helps Beijing — a sobering read for the region's stability.

• China is pushing harder in the Taiwan Strait, around the island, and across the South China Sea than it did in the 1996 crisis.
• Retired Admiral James Ellis Jr., who led two US carrier groups to Taiwan during that crisis, said the standoff never ended and has gotten sharper.
• His core warning: when a country turns defense into a tool for short-term party politics, the only winner is the adversary.
• Taiwan is raising defense spending to 3% of GDP and modernizing its military, moves Ellis praised as real choices under real limits.
• Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said Beijing still refuses to talk to Taiwan's elected government, but Taiwan will not provoke and will not trade away its democracy.

Outlook: Expect continued Chinese military pressure around Taiwan, with Taipei leaning on higher defense budgets and bipartisan US backing rooted in both shared values and its chipmaking role.