Taiwan leader: No compromise on sovereignty and democracy

Armed confrontation between Taiwan and China is "absolutely not an option", Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has said, as she also pledged to boost the island's defences and reiterated her willingness to talk to Beijing.

"I want to make clear to the Beijing authorities that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides. Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait," Tsai said in her national day speech.

Taiwan's leader warned Beijin that the island would never give up its democratic way of life in a national day speech.

In her speech, President Tsai Ing-wen compared Moscow's attack on Ukraine to Beijing's goal of one day taking control of Taiwan -- which it has vowed to do, by force if necessary.

"We absolutely cannot ignore the challenge that these military expansions pose to the free and democratic world order," she said.

"The destruction of Taiwan's democracy and freedom would be a grave defeat for the world's democracies," she added.

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Pressure on Taipei

Taiwan and China split at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

China's President Xi Jinping has ramped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taipei in recent years and is a key ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Xi is on the cusp of securing a third term later this month and has made taking Taiwan a key plank of his landmark "national rejuvenation" project.

But Tsai said becoming part of China was not acceptable to people in Taiwan, which has become a progressive democracy with a distinct Taiwanese identity.

"During the past 73 years, the people of Taiwan have lived and grown together on this land, and have formed our own strong sense of identity and belonging," she said.

"The broadest consensus among the Taiwanese people and our various political parties is that we must defend our national sovereignty and our free and democratic way of life. On this point, we have no room for compromise."

READ MORE: Beijing retorts after Biden says US will defend Taiwan if China attacks 

Porcupine strategy

Taiwan is massively outgunned by China, which has the world's largest military in terms of personnel, and has spent decades expanding its military capabilities.

Beijing hosted huge war drills in August around Taiwan to protest a visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Allies have urged Taiwan to adopt an asymmetric "porcupine strategy" that would make it hard for China's larger military to invade, an argument that has been bolstered by the stout defence that Ukraine's much smaller forces have put up against Moscow.

Tsai addressed this strategic shift directly in her speech.

"We are ramping up the mass production of precision missiles and high-performance naval vessels," she said.

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