Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a rank conferral ceremony for military officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force, at the defence ministry in Taipei, Taiwan December 28, 2021. REUTERS/Annabelle ChihTAIPEI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen had a New Year message for China on Saturday: military conflict is not the answer, but Beijing responded with a stern warning that if Taiwan crossed any red line it would lead to "profound catastrophe". China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased military and diplomatic pressure in the past two years to assert its sovereignty claims. "We must remind the Beijing authorities to not misjudge the situation and to prevent the internal expansion of 'military adventurism'," Tsai said on Saturday in her New Year's speech, broadcast live on Facebook. On Saturday, after Tsai's speech, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, said: "We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification."

Source: Ethiopian News January 01, 2022 19:26 UTC