Taiwan's defense chief says China still hasn't abandoned the option of seizing the island by force, which is bad news for cross-strait tensions but reinforces Taiwan's push to build up its own military deterrence.

• Defense Minister Koo Li-hsiung says Beijing has never given up the goal of taking Taiwan by force, backing up a US Army Pacific commander's warning that the so-called "Davidson window" threat (China potentially having the military ability to invade by 2027) still holds.
• Taiwan's military says it is closely tracking Chinese forces, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier group's drills near the first island chain, by sharing intelligence with allies.
• Taiwan says it does not want to see Chinese ships make any show of force that could destabilize peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Asked whether Taiwan will stockpile war supplies like the US and Japan are doing, the defense minister says Taiwan is already working on building up its own wartime resilience.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep strengthening its defenses and monitoring Chinese military activity as regional tensions stay elevated heading toward the 2027 risk window.