TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) warned that if China seizes Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and other Indo-Pacific countries could be Beijing’s next targets, stressing the need for Taiwan to strengthen its defenses.

Lai spoke with AFP on Tuesday, according to CNA. Lai said he is confident the Legislative Yuan will pass an additional US$40 billion (NT$1.25 trillion) budget for key defense procurements, including arms purchases from the US.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has warned Washington not to sell arms to Taiwan. However, Lai believes the US will support Taiwan, and there is no need to treat the country as a “bargaining chip” in negotiations with Beijing.

Lai said that if China seizes Taiwan, Beijing would become more aggressive, undermining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and weakening the rules-based international order. He added that China’s expansionist ambitions would not stop with Taiwan.

"The next countries under threat would be Japan, the Philippines, and others in the Indo-Pacific region, with repercussions eventually reaching the Americas and Europe," said Lai. He said that in an interconnected world, events in one country inevitably affect others.

Xi’s recent removal of several top generals has fueled speculation about how it could affect Beijing’s potential timeline for an invasion of Taiwan. Lai said the recent purge of senior Chinese military officers is “indeed an unusual situation,” but said that it does not change the need for Taiwan to be fully prepared for China's aggression at all times.

Lai stressed that Taiwan's military must make sure that for Beijing, "there is never a day that is a good day to invade Taiwan."