self-ruling

The self-ruling island is a major producer of computer chips, which are crucial to the technology that drives the global economy.

The prefecture also hosts almost 30,000 troops, while its proximity to Taiwan makes it vital in terms of the US being able to respond to any Chinese invasion of the self-ruling island.

China, America’s chief competitor for global influence, claims Taiwan as its own territory and threatens to use force to bring the self-ruling island under its control.

Taiwan is a self-ruling island of 24 million people that is officially known as the Republic of China.

Mr. Putin has been far more aggressive, launching the biggest war in Europe since World War II. Mr. Xi has in recent years certainly taken a more bristling territorial stance, particularly with Taiwan, the self-ruling island democracy that Beijing claims, using economic sanctions and military drills to keep the island on edge.