Taiwan will continue to strengthen its defenses to ensure no one can force the country to accept the path China has charted for the country, President Tsai Ing-wen said during a national holiday address on Sunday. The country celebrates the founding of the Republic of China in 1949. That is the official name of Taiwan.
‘We hope for an easing of relations between the two states and will not act hastily. But there should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bend under pressure,’ said the Taiwanese president.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised on Saturday that there would be a peaceful reunification between China and Taiwan. But Tsai says he doesn’t feel much for that. “We will continue to strengthen our national defenses and show our determination to defend ourselves. And to ensure that no one can force Taiwan to follow the path China has set for us. This is because neither the path China has charted nor a free and democratic way of life means to Taiwan, nor sovereignty to our 23 million people.”
Tensions between the two countries have risen sharply in recent days, including due to Chinese military aircraft violating Taiwan’s airspace. China regards the island off the Chinese coast as a renegade province.
