Taiwan will not bow to pressure from China: President Tsai

Taipei: Taiwan will not bow to pressure from China and will defend its democratic way of life, President Tsai Ing-wen has said in a defiant speech amid heightened tensions over the island. Her speech on Taiwan's National Day came after China's President Xi Jinping vowed to fulfil reunification. Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state, while China views it as a breakaway province. Beijing has not ruled out the possible use



of force to achieve unification.

Ms Tsai was re-elected by a landslide last year on a promise to stand up to Beijing. In her speech today, she said Taiwan is standing on democracy's first line of defence. She said the island would not act rashly but would bolster its defences to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for them.