By Yimo Lee and Ben Blancard
Taipei (Reuters) – Taiwan wants to have a “meaningful dialogue” with China on an equal footing, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday, extending the olive branch in times of military tensions with Beijing, which claims the island as a sovereign Chinese. Region.
Democracy Taiwan is coming under pressure from Beijing, which has stepped up air force activity near the island over the past few weeks, including crossing the sensitive middle line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer zone.
China has said it is responding to a “connection” between Washington and Taipei, with the U.S. seeking a self-governing island. No resentment at the growing support. Beijing is a precursor to Taiwan’s formal declaration of independence, a red line for China.
Speaking in celebration of National Day, Tsai described the situation on the Taiwan Strait as “stressful”. Along with this, with the South China Sea disputes, the Sino-Indian border conflict and China’s conflict in Hong Kong posed major challenges to democracy and peace in the region, he said.
Regional tensions can definitely be resolved if Beijing can heed Taiwan’s voice and jointly facilitate reconciliation and peaceful dialogue, he added.
“As long as the Beijing authorities are ready to resolve the conflict and improve inter-party relations, while maintaining equality and dignity, we are ready to work together to facilitate meaningful dialogue,” Tsai said.
There was no immediate reaction from China, which closed the talks in 2016 after taking office for the first time.
Tsai said he is committed to maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait, but this is the responsibility of both parties.
Nonetheless, he has made strengthening Taiwan’s armed forces a priority, and said he would pursue this in support of the principle of finding or fearing war.
“Our commitment to our sovereignty and democratic values will not change, but we will maintain strategic flexibility and respond to change,” he said without elaborating.
The United States is pushing Taiwan to modernize its military so that it can become a “supporter”, making it harder to attack China. Like most countries, Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, although it is its strongest global supporter.
(Reporting by Yimo Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by William Mallard)
