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President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan is preparing against any possible Chinese invasion, but also urged “meaningful dialogue” with China. Beijing has claimed the island’s democracy as its own territory.
Ms. Tsai is the leader of the Pro-Independence Democratic Progressive Party and decided to speak calmly to mark National Taiwan Day.
She delivered her speech after a month of China’s military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.
However, China’s state-backed newspaper Global Times criticized Ms Tsai’s speech.
The Chinese Communist Party-backed newspaper said the Taiwanese president was trying to “fool” the world.
He insisted that the risk of war between the two sides had increased “dramatically” in recent months.
The Chinese government has claimed ownership of Taiwan under its “One China” policy, which requires there to be a single sovereign state by the name of China.
The Communist Party of China has threatened to take Taiwan by force if diplomatic efforts are unsuccessful.
Taiwan has been an independent country since the end of the Chinese Civil War.
READ MORE: China ‘a growing threat to Taiwan’ after a worrying policy shift
The strait is part of the South China Sea, over which Beijing has also claimed territories.
Ms Tsai said she is “willing to work together to facilitate meaningful dialogue” with China even though tensions between the two neighbors have increased in recent months.
The Global Times, however, stated that the situation between China and Taiwan “has been seriously deteriorating.”
In an article published Sunday, the newspaper said the Taiwanese president was “using the idea of facilitating dialogue like an ‘olive branch’ as a delaying tactic, trying to mislead the international community out of sympathy.”
The Chinese-backed media also called Ms. Tsai’s government “a gang of opportunistic politicians.”
He also called China’s recent military exercises in the straits “a clear warning against movements by forces seeking ‘secession.’
He added: “Due to the provocation of the Tsai authorities, the risk of war is increasing dramatically, and the Tsai authorities are on the edge of the precipice.”
The Global Times published video footage of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army military exercises in the disputed waters.
The newspaper called the mock tests “the strong capacity and firm will of mainland China against the Taiwan secessionists and the pressure for reunification.”
The article added: “The exercises included concentrated deployments of unmanned aerial, surface and ground vehicles, which will significantly increase the efficiency of the PLA in taking control of an island.”
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