Taipei mayor calls for reduced tensions during rare visit of Chinese officials

17/12/2024 12:27

The mayor of Taiwan's capital told visiting Chinese officials on Tuesday he hoped for peace and wanted less of the "howls of ships and aircraft" around the island, saying dialogue trumps confrontation.



China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, sends warplanes and warships near the island on an almost daily basis, and held a new round of mass military activities last week.



Addressing the annual Taipei Shanghai City Forum with Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan in attendance, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an used poetic language to say he wished for peace across the Taiwan Strait.



China has continued to send warplanes and warships into the strait even with the forum taking place, with Taiwan's defence ministry saying on Tuesday morning that in the past 24 hours it had detected 10 military aircraft and seven warships.



Chiang is from Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang, which traditional favours close ties across the Taiwan Strait although it denies being pro-Beijing. He is widely considered a future presidential contender.