Taiwan president offers China help to deal with Covid surge
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday offered to provide China with "necessary assistance" to help it deal with a surge in Covid-19 cases but said Chinese military activities near the island were not beneficial to peace and stability.
Tsai, in her traditional new year message, delivered at the presidential office, said everyone had seen the rise in cases in China and offered assistance based on 'humanitarian care'. In the speech Tsai reiterated a call for dialogue with China, saying war was not an option to resolve problems.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his New Year address on Saturday evening, made only a brief reference to Taiwan, saying people on either side of the Taiwan Strait "are members of one and the same family", and made no mention of seeking to bring the island under Chinese control.
Tsai, taking questions from reporters, said she had noted Xi's "gentler" remarks but added that any military action near Taiwan is not 'conducive to cross-strait relations nor regional peace and stability'.
Tsai has repeatedly said she wants talks and peace with China but that Taiwan will defend itself if attacked and that only its 23 million people can decide their future. China views Tsai as a separatist and has refused to talk to her.
Shortly after Tsai spoke, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said 12 Chinese military aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which had previously served as an unofficial buffer between the two sides, in the past 24 hours.
Reuters
