Chinese ships and aircraft monitored the Aotearoa, with Chinese jets carrying out simulated attacks. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The remarks come amid the two countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years, after the Japanese prime minister said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

President Trump spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, and the Chinese government said Xi outlined what it called China’s "principled" position on Taiwan. The self-governing democracy of 23 million has never been part of Communist China,

Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday that a "return" to China is not an option for the island's 23 million people, after Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed his country's sovereignty claims in a call with U.

That role also means a war over Taiwan could be "cataclysmic," the report warned, potentially "wiping out as much as 10 percent of global GDP"—an unprecedented economic hit in modern times. The authors said the ramifications of such a scenario could be "on par with the 2008 Global Financial Crisis."

Tokyo denies Wall Street Journal report that Japanese leader was advised not to provoke Beijing on Taiwan issue.

The budget will be allocated over eight years as part of the island's strategy to deter a China's threats of invasion