President Lai Ching-te says if China were to take Taiwan, its neighbors will
be next.

In an interview with French news agency AFP, Lai said "if Taiwan were
annexed by China, China's expansionist ambitions would not stop there" and if
Taiwan falls, it will embolden Beijing to take more aggressive action.

The president identified the next countries under threat as Japan, the
Philippines, and others in the Indo-Pacific region... with repercussions that
would eventually reach the Americas and Europe.

Lai further repeated a previous comment that Taiwan-United States relations
remain "rock solid" during the interview and said he's confident that the U-S
does not need to use Taiwan as a "bargaining chip" in talks with China.

The president also outlined his vision for the global semiconductor supply
chain ..

.. saying while production is taking place in Europe, Japan and the U-S,
where Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing operations have expanded, Taiwan
will retain its lead in the sector by keeping "the most advanced
manufacturing processes."