Taiwan and China must engage in dialogue to achieve peace, given the "multiple changes" in the international environment. This was insisted by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, quoted by "Reuters" and News.bg.
He called for dialogue instead of confrontation.
Lai, whom China denounces as a "separatist", has repeatedly called for talks with Beijing. However, China is increasing military and political pressure on the democratically governed island, which it considers its territory.
In addition, both China and Taiwan are facing challenges from the new administration of US President Donald Trump, which has imposed tariffs on China and threatened to introduce similar measures against imported semiconductors – a sector in which Taiwan dominates.
In front of members of the Taiwanese business community who invest in China, Lai stressed that the common enemy of Taiwan and China is natural disasters, and their common goal is the well-being of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
"Therefore, especially at a time of repeated changes in the international environment, we must maintain good dialogue and exchanges between the two sides to achieve the goal of peace," he said.
Taiwan strongly welcomes negotiations with China on the basis of equality and without preconditions, stressing that dialogue should replace confrontation. However, Lai stressed that Taiwan's future can only be decided by its people.
China insists that Taiwan must accept the concept of "one China" something that Lai and his government strongly reject.
Taiwan's president said he could have no illusions about peace and stressed that the country must achieve it by strengthening its defenses and by cooperating with other democracies.
"Only with sovereignty is there a country. Only with Taiwan is there the Republic of China," he added, referring to the island's official name.
The defeated government of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war against Mao Zedong's communist forces, which established the People's Republic of China in Beijing.