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Joseph Wu, foreign minister of Taiwan, has warned the Island is “on the front line” of an expansion of the Chinese regime. China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province which it has vowed to
retake, by force if necessary. Relations between the two nations have deteriorated in recent months amid a move by Taiwan to strengthen diplomatic ties with the US and India. Speaking about
the increased military presence of Chinese forces near Taiwan, Mr Wu said: "It is true that the Chinese are building up their military, targeting at Taiwan. "Not only do they try
to build up their missile capabilities, but they also try to build up their conventional capabilities." The leading official feared the ultimate end game would result in Taiwan coming
under direct threat from China. Mr Wu added: “I think the target is Taiwan. There's no doubt about it." Taiwan has constantly rejected China’s plan for a “one country, two
systems" policy, which would grant the Island autonomy if it accepted reunification. The senior diplomat gave examples of an increased aerial threat from Chinese forces in recent
months. He added: “They're also trying to intensify their military activities around Taiwan. In the last couple of months, we saw the Chinese military activities, especially the
activities in the air, have been increasing tremendously. "They not only try to intrude into our air identification zone, they also try to cut through the median line of the Taiwan
Strait, which has been safeguarding peace and stability and the status quo for decades." The £1.3billion deal includes 135 precision-guided cruise missiles, as well as mobile light
rocket launchers. Responding to the deal, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the sales "seriously interfere with China's internal affairs, seriously damage
China's sovereignty and security interests, send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces, and severely damage China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan
Strait". He added: "China will make a legitimate and necessary response according to how the situation develops.”