The project’s continuation, while low-key and under pressure before 2020 from China to end it or move it to a Chinese location, strengthens Taiwan’s image.

China would need to do more than kill or capture Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, as that would leave intact the rest of the government, which has a clear line of succession. The PLA is thus likely to use decapitation strikes as part of a bigger operation, potentially a full-scale invasion.

China’s decision to bring serious firepower to bear for military drills in the waters off Taiwan this week has deep roots both in the past several weeks and the past several decades.

Cyberattacks on Taiwan's critical infrastructure — purported from China — averaged 2.63 million attempts per day, targeting energy firms and hospitals.

Some Chinese online users are calling for a lightning Venezuela-style snatch of Taiwan's leaders in a prelude to taking over the island, but analysts, scholars and security officials say China's modernising military is still far from ready.

President Trump said that his actions in Venezuela did not set a precedent for other countries like Russia and China because he claimed he was responding to a “real threat.”

China’s top diplomat has slammed a record U.S. military sale to Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday also blasted what he called pro-independence forces in Taiwan and the leaders of Japan.

China launches largest military drills ever around Taiwan as war tensions spike following record $11.1 billion U.S. arms sale to the island nation.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te thanked Canada on Tuesday for its support during recent Chinese military drills and praised the deepening of ties between the two sides, shortly ahead of a visit to China by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

For one, international law doesn’t figure into China’s thinking on Taiwan: Beijing considers the island to be a strictly internal matter, and has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under Communist Party control. A decision to invade would be based on calculations by China about its chances of success.