President Tsai Ing-wen said that Taiwan is willing to work with China for a mutually agreeable cross-strait arrangement for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. She was speaking in her National Day address on Monday in Taiwan.
During her speech, she described Taiwan as an island of resilience and expressed its determination to defend itself and upgrade its defense capabilities. But at the same time, Tsai expressed a desire to see eased cross-strait tensions. She said she is looking forward to the resumption of people-to-people exchanges with China as border restrictions loosen. Taiwan is set to end its quarantine requirement and open its borders to travelers on October 13.
The president also said that she wanted to make it clear to Beijing that armed confrontation is “not an option” for both sides. She said that only by respecting Taiwan’s democracy, sovereignty and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Strait.
She also outlined how Taiwan would take responsibility for its own defense and is ramping up the production of precision missiles and high-performance naval vessels. It is also purchasing more highly mobile precision weapons to upgrade its asymmetric defense capabilities.
The president also highlighted a growing sense of pride in the people of Taiwan. She said that saying “I am Taiwanese” has become a statement of honor and pride for Taiwan’s people.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19, Taiwan’s economy saw a growth of 6.57 percent in 2021. The International Institute for Management Development World Competitiveness Yearbook also ranked Taiwan seventh worldwide for competitiveness this year.
President Tsai said that Taiwan has shown itself to be an island of resilience and an important global symbol of democracy and freedom.