Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday suggested that she would welcome a British military base in the South China Sea as she called for increased international support to defend the self-ruled island from renewed threats from Beijing.

Ms Tsai's comments came days after Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, warned that Beijing reserves the right to use force to bring the Taiwanese under its control but will first strive to achieve peaceful “reunification”.

"We hope that the international community takes it seriously and can voice support and help us," Ms Tsai told a news conference in Taipei. If it did not support a democratic country that was under threat, "we might have to ask which country might be next?" she added.

Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy of 23 million and a key US ally in the Indo-Pacific region, is claimed by China and considered to be Beijing’s most sensitive issue. It also borders the disputed waters of the South China Sea, another major flashpoint for potential future conflict between US and Chinese forces.