{"id":344871,"date":"2021-10-11T14:25:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T14:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/china\/taiwan-tsai-10112021101452.html"},"modified":"2021-10-11T14:25:12","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T14:25:12","slug":"taiwan-president-says-china-threatens-regional-peace-vows-not-to-give-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/10\/11\/taiwan-president-says-china-threatens-regional-peace-vows-not-to-give-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan President Says China Threatens Regional Peace, Vows Not to Give Way"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n
Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen has vowed not to cave in to growing military threats from China, after Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping once more insisted that the democratic island must \"unify\" with China, contrary to the wishes of most of its 23 million residents.<\/span>
Speaking at an Oct. 10 National Day ceremony, Tsai warned against \"letting down our guard\" in the face of pressure from China.<\/span>
\"The situation in the Indo-Pacific region is becoming more tense and complex by the day,\" Tsai warned.<\/span>
\"After taking complete control of Hong Kong and suppressing democracy activists, the Beijing authorities also shifted away from the path of political and economic development that they had followed since reform and opening up began decades ago,\" she said.<\/span>
She said routine Chinese air force sorties in Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ) \"has seriously affected both our national security and aviation safety.\"<\/span>
\"I want to reiterate that Taiwan is willing to do its part to contribute to the peaceful development of the region,\" Tsai said, calling against for government-to-government talks with China, which Beijing has repeatedly refused.<\/span>
\"We ... will not act rashly, but there should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure,\" Tsai said.<\/span>
\"We will continue to bolster our national defense and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves in order to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us,\" she said.<\/span>
\"This is because the path that China has laid out offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan, nor sovereignty for our 23 million people.\"<\/span>