Taiwan's president used the 68th anniversary of the 1958 Kinmen artillery battle to argue that only a stronger military can keep the peace, a hard-line message aimed at Beijing.

• Lai Ching-te marked the anniversary at Kinmen and framed the battle as proof that soldiers and civilians of every background defended Taiwan together.
• He drew a straight line from 1958 to today's pressure from China — coast guard incursions around Kinmen, gray-zone harassment, and military moves reaching across the first island chain.
• His core claim: peace bought by giving up sovereignty or surrendering is humiliation, not peace.
• The backing is money and hardware — a defense budget above NT$1 trillion next year, AI and drone weapons, foreign arms purchases, better pay for troops, and a large program to rebuild aging barracks.
• The pitch to Taiwan's own politicians is unity: back the military, whatever the party.

Outlook: Expect fights in Taiwan's legislature over the record defense budget, and sharper rhetoric from Beijing in response.