Taiwan’s president said armed confrontation between Taiwan and China was “absolutely not an option”.
In her Independence Day speech, Tsai Ing-wen pledged to strengthen the island’s defenses and reiterated her readiness for dialogue with Beijing.
She said Taiwan is ramping up production of precision missiles and high-performance naval vessels, and is working to buy small, highly mobile weapons to ensure it is ready to deal with “threats from the world.” military threats from the outside”.
President Tsai said it was “regrettable” China has escalated intimidation and threatens peace and stability in the region.
Taiwan has come under increasing pressure from China, especially after war game in early August after an argument visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Beijing insists that Taiwan – a country with a democratic system – is part of China and must be returned to its “motherland”.
“I want to make it clear to the Beijing government that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for either of us,” the Taiwanese president said.
“Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy and freedom can there be a foundation to resume constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait.”
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Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan will show the world that it is taking responsibility for its own defense, she added.
President Tsai has made strengthening defenses a cornerstone of her administration to be able to create a more credible deterrent against China, which is pushing ahead with an ambitious modernization program. the army of this country.
China considers Tsai Ing-wen a separatist and refuses to talk to her.
Her speech comes less than a week before the opening of the Communist Party Congress in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping is widely expected to win a third five-year term.
