Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday that her country will refuse to give in to pressure from China to submit to its rule, which would prohibit them from being a nation of freedom or democracy.
Tsai's comments come as Beijing increases military and political pressure on Taiwan, Reuters reported. She said that she hoped tensions would ease and that Taiwan would not "act rashly."
"But there should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure," Tsai said when speaking at a National Day rally. "We will continue to bolster our national defense and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves in order to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us."
"This is because the path that China has laid out offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan, nor sovereignty for our 23 million people," she continued.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a Saturday speech that there would be a "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan.
"Taiwan independence separatism is the biggest obstacle to achieving the reunification of the motherland, and the most serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation," he said.
China has offered a "one country, two systems" to Taiwan, which would mirror the model it uses with Hong Kong. However, all major Taiwanese political parties have rejected this offer, particularly because of China's treatment of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
"The more we achieve, the greater the pressure we face from China. So I want to remind all my fellow citizens that we do not have the privilege of letting down our guard," Tsai said Sunday.
In recent months, China's military provocations of Taiwan have escalated, sending dozens of military aircrafts into Taiwanese air space on a nearly-daily basis.