President Tsai Ing-wen's remarks come after major gains by a Beijing-friendly opposition party in local elections in late November. "And they absolutely don't mean that the Taiwanese people want us to give ground on our autonomy." China resents Tsai for declining to recognize its condition for dialogue: that each side sees itself as part of one China. Tsai warned officials against any reliance on "vague political preconditions" or "forced submission of secret passwords," a reference to giving away secrets. Taiwanese officials are on alert against any infection on their island, which lies 160 kilometers (100 miles) across the Taiwan Strait.

Source: ABC News January 01, 2019 02:21 UTC