Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-Wen has called on China not to ‘misjudge the situation’, and ‘to prevent the internal expansion of “military adventurism”.’ This comes after escalating tensions between the two countries in recent years.
China claims Taiwan – a self-governing democracy – as part of its territory. Chinese president Xi Xinping has signalled a determination to ‘reunify’ the countries, raising the spectre of military conflict. Repeated Chinese incursions into Taiwanese airspace have attracted attention.
In her New Year’s address, President Tsai said: ‘The use of military means is absolutely not an option for resolving the differences between our two sides.’
In response, a Chinese government spokesperson said that China would work for peaceful reunification.
‘But,’ he added, ‘if “Taiwan independence” separatist forces continue to provoke and coerce, or even cross any red line, we will have to take decisive measures.’ This would bring about a ‘catastrophe’.
Tsai also commented on the situation in Hong Kong, where the Chinese crackdown on the democracy movement and on civil liberties has raised alarms in Taiwan as a portent of the latter’s possible future.
She said: ‘We will hold fast to our sovereignty, uphold the values of freedom and democracy, defend territorial sovereignty and national security, and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.’
[Image: Garoth Ursuul, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56473854]