Tsai hopes for less tension with China on National Day

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday that she hoped for less tensions with China and in region if Beijing listened to Taipei's concerns, altered its approach and restarted dialogue with self-ruled island democracy.

Speaking at Taiwan's National Day celebrations, Tsai took te of recent remarks by Chinese leer Xi Jinping in a video mess to UN General Assembly that China would never seek hegemony, expansion or to establish a sphere of influence.

If Beijing can "heed Taiwan's voice, change way it handles cross-strait relations, and jointly facilitate cross-strait reconciliation and peaceful dialogue, I believe that regional tension can surely be resolved," Tsai said.

China's ruling Communist Party claims self-governing island as Chinese territory to be annexed by force if necessary.

Beijing cut contacts with Tsai's government following her election to a first term in 2016 and has steily increased diplomatic, military and ecomic pressure on island of 23 million to compel her to endorse its contention that Taiwan and mainland constitute a single Chinese nation.

Tsai, of pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, was reelected by a wide margin this spring and especially since September, China has been sending warplanes and ships into areas under Taiwanese control, prompting island's air force to scramble its jets at a faster tempo than before.

China's campaign of isolation has seen Taiwan excluded from international garings and reduced its number of diplomatic allies to just 15, even while it enjoys strong informal support from US, Japan and or major democracies.

Tsai also praised Taiwan's success in containing coronavirus outbreak and outlined steps taken to boost its high-tech ecomy and military.

Her speech was book ended by displays of troops and civilian defense forces, as well as bands and dance performances in front of invited guests and members of public in front of presidential building that dates from Taiwan's time as a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945.

Following World War II, Taiwan was handed over to Republic of China run by Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists, who moved to island in 1949 ahe of Communist takeover of mainland.

October 10 National Day dates from start of a 1911 rebellion against Qing, China's last empire, that led to establishment of Republic of China, which remains Taiwan's formal name.

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