Taiwan rejects China’s ‘path’ amid show of military force

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president has vowed to defend the island from China’s rising pressure for reunification, after a week of tensions with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen was speaking Sunday at Taiwan’s National Day celebrations. The leader’s promise to resist Chinese military threats was underlined by a rare show of defense capabilities in the celebration’s annual parade. The display of military hardware included fighter jets, tanks, and both imported and domestically-made missile systems. Tsai emphasized the island’s vibrant democracy in contrast with Beijing’s authoritarian, single-party Communist state. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its national territory and China’s leader Xi Jinping declared on Saturday that reunification with Taiwan “must be realized”.