Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take the self-ruled democracy by force if necessary.

Recently, there has been an uptick in tensions after China sent dozens of military planes into areas near Taiwan.

DW's East Asia correspondent James Chater reports now from Taipei.

Taiwanese tanks this week are rolling through the streets of the self-ruled democracy.

They're taking part in exercises responding to a potential surprise attack by China.

The drills came as they monitored China carrying out exercises of its own, in which Beijing's warships and drones encircled the island.

It's the latest dialling up of friction between the two sides.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, recently unveiled no less than 17 new strategies to counter what the president called Chinese infiltration in Taiwan.

And this week, Taiwan's defence ministry cited 2027 as a year of a potential Chinese invasion for the first time, while at the same time pledging to deepen military exchanges with Washington.

Beijing said Taipei's efforts to cooperate with other nations were doomed to fail.

The complete reunification of China is unstoppable, and relying on foreign forces to seek independence a dead end.

All this has taken on greater urgency since the return of U.S.

President Donald Trump to the White House.

For some in Taiwan, his approach to Ukraine, including blaming Kiev for the war with Russia, is a troubling omen for how he might deal with Taipei.

When it comes to Taiwan's security, there is a very important principle, that is, we must help ourselves before others can help us.

Taiwan must bear the most responsibility for its own security.

Trump has said Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit the U.S. in the not-too-distant future.

But despite overtures between Washington and Beijing, tensions over Taiwan look no closer to a peaceful resolution.

Well, it's very important to first point out that this date is in no way a confirmation of an expectation.

This is a date that is often discussed in policy circles and defense circles in Washington because that's a date that it's believed within U.S. intelligence that Xi Jinping has ordered the Chinese military to be able to launch an invasion of Taiwan.

Not necessarily that it will be making an invasion on that date, but that it could be able to make that invasion on that date.

In Taiwan, this has always been a bit more of a cagey issue.

Taiwanese defense ministry officials have always been a bit more reluctant to make clear dates or stipulate clear dates of when that eventuality might happen.

And that's why the date emerging in this document about upcoming annual military drills did arouse attention.

Taiwan's defense ministry hasn't explained clearly why they've stipulated this date.

But observers looking at the situation think that this could be an effort to focus the military's attention on the threats posed by China, as well as the broader public, given this recent uptick in military tensions and the increasing intensity of Chinese intimidation around Taiwan, not to mention, of course, that broader geopolitical environment where the U.S., Taiwan's chief guarantor of security, although it hasn't stated explicitly it would do so, is actively signaling its partners to do more for its own defense, too.

Well, this is all happening as U.S. foreign policy is being transformed under the new Trump administration.

How is that impacting relations between China and Taiwan, James?

Well, the U.S. position vis-a-vis Taiwan and China is absolutely critical.

The implicit guarantee that the U.S. could come to Taiwan's defense if it was attacked by China really is the linchpin of this delicate balance of power that has existed across the Taiwan Straits for so many decades now.

And that's why any indication that there would be a weakening of that commitment, that implicit commitment, is really looked on with concern here in Taiwan.

And that's why, of course, the situation in Europe, the weakening of support for Ukraine in Washington has really caused a certain degree of alarm in Taipei as well.

Of course, one other area that really Taiwan is looking at very closely is the semiconductor industry.

Remember, of course, Taiwan produces 90 percent of the world's most advanced semiconductors, the engines of almost all modern electronics.

And recently what we saw was TSMC, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the key company in this industry, announcing a $100 billion U.S. investment in the U.S. in the press conference with Trump.

Some people in Taiwan are very concerned that this means a weakening of the so-called silicon shield, this idea that the advanced semiconductor industry would deter China from making an attack on Taiwan.

But the question really going forward, of course, is also looking at the composition of the Trump administration and who is really going to have the ear of Donald Trump when it comes to this particular issue.

Who within the administration or even Taiwanese officials is going to be able to explain the strategic value of Taiwan to the United States, especially as we know this administration looks at foreign policy through such a transactional lens?

James, thank you very much.

That was our correspondent James Chater there in Taipei.