China remains likely to attack Taiwan: Taiwanese president

China remains likely to attack Taiwan: Taiwanese president

Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:02AM

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This file photo, taken in December 2016, shows Chinese J-15 fighter jets waiting on the deck of China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier during military drills in the Bohai Sea, off China’s northeast coast. (By AFP)

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen says the likelihood remains for China to launch an attack on the self-ruled island, which is recognized by most world countries as Chinese territory.

“No one can exclude this possibility. We will need to see whether their policymakers are reasonable policymakers or not,” Tsai said in a late Monday interview on Taiwan television in response to a question on whether there was a chance that China would attack Taiwan.

“When you consider it from a regional perspective, any reasonable policymaker will have to very carefully deliberate as to whether launching war is an option,” she added.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (photo by AFP)

Tsai claimed Taiwan was “carefully following” Chinese activity near the island.

“When our government faces resistance and pressure from China, we will find our method to resist this. This is very important,” she said.

China considers Taiwan a breakaway province. Relations have soured since Tsai, of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, rose to power two years ago following a presidential election.

China believes Tsai intends to press for formal independence of the island, which is a red line for Beijing, but she has publicly noted a desire for maintaining the status quo and ensuring peace.

Taiwanese amphibious assault vehicles release smoke during the "Han Kuang" (Han Glory) life-fire drill near the outlying Penghu Islands on May 25, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

China has held military drills around Taiwan in recent months, causing alarm in Taipei. Beijing, however, describes the exercises as routine, but insists that it will not tolerate any attempt by the island to declare independence.

Although China has discontinued a formal dialog mechanism with Taiwan, Tsai further acknowledged that both sides currently had a method for communications to avert misunderstanding.

While Taiwan continues to press the US — its key weapons supplier — to provide more advanced armaments, it has also been trying to enhance its own weapons programs in efforts to avoid what Tsai described as “certain political difficulties” that come with purchasing arms from overseas in face of Chinese opposition.

The Taiwanese president further said that she believed Taiwan would eventually gain the capability of manufacturing its own submarines, something Taipei has long desired to face China’s navy.