Taiwan lashes back at Chinese defense minister's threats

Taiwan lashed out at the Chinese defense minister's renewed threat to use force to assert China's claim to the island, accusing Beijing of creating unease in the region and seeking to "expand its hegemony."
It accused China of "challenging international norms and order" and said Beijing's claim to seek peaceful development had been recognized internationally as "a lie of the ages."
It said Taiwan, which is heavily dependent on U.S. arms for its defense, would continue to strengthen its armed forces, "defend its national sovereignty and democratic system," and uphold the right of the island's 23 million people to "freely choose their own future."

China considers annexation of Taiwan to be an inevitability, and in his speech,