Taiwan leader says armed conflict with China 'absolutely not an option'

China’s threats of military action against Taiwan are “absolutely not an option” and will only push the two sides "further from each other,” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday.

According to Press TV, addressing the self-ruled island's National Day, Tsai said China should not mistake Taiwan’s multiparty democratic system for weakness and “attempt to divide Taiwanese society.”

“I want to make clear to the Beijing authorities that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides," Tsai stressed in her speech.

“Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait," she hastened to add.

Reacting to her remarks, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated China’s long-held stance that the island is "not an independent state and has no so-called president.”

“The root cause of the current tensions in the Taiwan Strait is that the authorities have been clinging to Taiwan independence and colluding with external forces to make provocations,” Mao told reporters at a daily briefing.

“We are ready to create a wide space for peaceful reunification, but will never leave any room for secessionist activities of Taiwan independence.”

Late last month, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi vowed to strongly confront any foreign support for the Chinese Taipei's independence from the mainland in the face of US attempts to court separatist forces in the island territory.

"We must combat Taiwan independence separatist activities with the firmest resolve and take the most forceful steps to oppose external interference," Wang said while addressing the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"Any move to obstruct China's reunification is bound to be crushed by the wheels of history," he insisted.

ME