Autonomous Taiwan, which Beijing claims, is scheduled to go to the polls this month to choose a new president.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has stressed that the future of the self-governing island and its relations with Beijing should be decided by its people after Chinese leader Xi Jinping said “reunification” was inevitable.
Beijing claims that Taiwan belongs to it and has not ruled out using force to achieve its goal.
Political and military pressure on the island has intensified since Tsai was first elected in 2016 and has intensified her campaign in the weeks leading up to the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13.
In an upbeat New Year's Eve speech, Xi struck a stronger tone than usual on the island, promising the nation that China would “certainly be reunited.”
In response to a question about Xi's speech at a New Year's press conference at the presidential office in Taipei, Tsai stressed that the island is a democratic country and that its people decide its future.
“This requires the joint will of the people of Taiwan to make the decision. “We are a democratic country,” she added, calling on Beijing to respect the election results, stressing that maintaining peace and stability in the strait that separates them is the responsibility of both sides.
Earlier on Monday, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it had spotted four Chinese military aircraft and four Chinese naval ships near the island. She added that one of the two aircraft entered the air defense identification zone in the southwest of the country.
Beijing considers Tsai and Vice President William Lai Ching-ti, the front-runner for the presidency, as “separatists” and has rejected offers of dialogue.
Tsai, who was re-elected overwhelmingly in 2020, has strengthened ties with the United States, Taiwan's most important ally, and intensified efforts to modernize the island's military.
“Everyone's home has locks, this is not to provoke the neighbors but to make yourself safer. This is the same for the country's doors. The people of Taiwan want peace, but we want peace with respect,” she added.
Tsai and Lai belong to the Democratic Progressive Party, which has dominated the island's politics in recent years, leaving the China-friendly Kuomintang party in opposition.
Analysts told Al Jazeera last month that Beijing was running a multi-pronged campaign to ensure that the DPP was not re-elected and that the people of Taiwan made what they saw as “the right choice.”
In his New Year's speech, Xi reiterated his goal of unifying China and Taiwan.
“Citizens on both sides [Taiwan] He said the strait should be linked by a common sense of purpose to share in the glory of national renaissance.
Tsai cannot run for another term in office because she has already served two terms. She will step down in May when the next president is sworn in.
