Hello, I'm Ros Atkins. Each week on the BBC World Service, I look at one of the biggest issues in the news.

This week, it's a historic dispute that's become part of a global power struggle.

I always remember my older one she asked me that how can we are not calling Taiwan

how can we are calling ourselves the Republic of China are we just Taiwan or are we the Republic of China?

As ever, children ask the best questions and the curiosity and concern of this child is directed at a dispute

that reaches all the way from their home

to a struggle over who will be the 21st century's dominant power.

Let's look at why. Taiwan's leader Sue Jan Chang says

that the island needs to be on alert in response to what he called China's

over-the-top military activities and violations of regional peace.

Taiwan is an island off the southeast coast of China.

It's not declared independence, but in many ways it behaves as an independent state.

Beijing though says it's very much still part of China.

And this year, Chinese military activity near Taiwan has increased and this has been Taiwan's response.

We will continue to bolster our national defence and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves

so that nobody could force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us.

That's the Taiwanese president, Tsai In Wen.

And to her government, this is more than just military posturing.

The country's defense minister says the situation is worse than it's been for 40 years.

And when asked if China is capable of invading Taiwan,

this was the reply.

After 2025, that's our assessment. They will be fully prepared. That's our assessment.

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