The defense ministry has called on Mainland China’s military to demonstrate goodwill towards Taiwan through concrete actions.
Mainland China currently has over 1000 missiles aimed at Taiwan. The Mainland views Taiwan as a breakaway province, to be taken by force if necessary, though the two sides have been ruled separately for over sixty years.
President Ma Ying-jeou raised the issue of removing missiles aimed at Taiwan during his Saturday meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Xi reportedly responded that the missiles are part of China’s overall military arsenal, and are not specifically aimed at Taiwan.
On Monday, defense ministry spokesman David Lo said that Ma has expressed dissatisfaction with Xi’s response. According to Lo, the president has said that given the opportunity, he will reiterate Taiwan’s views on China’s missiles.
However, Lo said that the defense ministry believes that both sides share a consensus about the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He said that Chinese authorities should take concrete measures to show Taiwan their good intentions.