TAIPEI: China should stop its sabre-rattling against Taiwan and maintain peace and stability, the head of Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said on Friday (Oct 28), as Beijing ramped up political and military pressure on the island it claimed as its own.
China has stepped up military activities near democratically governed Taiwan since August, when it conducted blockade drills around the island following a visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“Beijing should stop its sabre-rattling as it only deepens the gap between the two sides and raises tensions in the region,” Mainland Affairs Council minister Chiu Tai-san told a forum in Taipei.
“We urge mainland China to lay down arms and maintain peace and stability. The key to peace is to reverse the mindset of handling problems with force,” Chiu said, adding Beijing should resolve disagreements with Taipei via “a constructive dialogue without preconditions”.