Taiwan will not give in to pressure from China and will defend its democratic system, President Tsai Ing-wen assured Sunday after a record number of Chinese military aircraft incursions near the island in recent days.
The 23 million inhabitants of Taiwan live under the constant threat of an invasion from China, which considers this territory to be one of its provinces.
Beijing threatens to use force in case the island formally proclaims its independence.
“The more things we do, the more pressure China exerts,”
Tsai said in a speech on Taiwan's National Day.
"No one can force Taiwan to follow the path that China has mapped out for us,"
said the president, saying the island is "on the front lines in defending democracy."
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Taiwan, which enjoys a democratic system, has been ruled by a power of its own since the victory of the Communists on the Continent in 1949. Since the coming to power of Chinese President Xi Jinping, tensions have been at their highest level for four decades.
Military aircraft incursions
All official communication with Taipei has been cut off since Ms. Tsai's election in 2016, with Beijing intensifying economic, diplomatic and military pressure on the territory.
Recently, Chinese military planes have stepped up incursions into the island's air defense identification zone (Adiz).
A record 150 Chinese military aircraft, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, made inroads into the Adiz in the days before and after October 1, China's national holiday.
On Saturday, Xi Jinping promised an inevitable "reunification" with Taiwan by "peaceful" means.
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In 2020, 380 Chinese Air Force planes were detected in Taiwan's Adiz.
Since the beginning of this year, they have been more than 600. An Adiz is an airspace in which a State wishes to identify and locate aircraft for reasons of national security.
Ms. Tsai is hated by Beijing, because she considers Taiwan as a country
"already independent"
, and rejects the principle of one China ".
She offered talks with Beijing, which rejected them, and on Sunday she reiterated her call for a "peer-to-peer" dialogue with China.
She warned, however, that anything that could happen to Taiwan would have major regional and global consequences.
