Taiwan president calls for 'meaningful dilaogue' with China

Taiwan wants to have "meaningful dialog" with China on an equal basis, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday (October 10).

She extended an olive branch at a time of heightened military tension with Beijing, which claims the island as sovereign Chinese territory.

Democratic Taiwan has come under increasing pressure from Beijing, which has ramped up air force activity near the island in the past few weeks, including crossing the Taiwan Strait's sensitive mid line that normally serves as an unofficial buffer zone.

China says it's responding to "collusion" between Washington and Taipei, angered at growing U.S. support for the self-governed island.

Beijing views this a precursor to Taiwan declaring formal independence, a red line for China.

Speaking at National Day celebrations, Tsai described the situation in the Taiwan Strait as "quite tense."

This, along with disputes in the South China Sea, a China-India border conflict and China's crackdown in Hong Kong, showed democracy and peace in the region were facing big challenges, she said.

If Beijing can heed Taiwan's voice and jointly facilitate reconciliation and peaceful dialog, regional tension can surely be resolved, she added.

There was no immediate reaction from China, which cut off a formal talks mechanism in 2016 after she first won office.