After the frequent intrusions by Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Taiwan on Friday said that it will not start a war but it is prepared for it, local media reported.
"Taiwan will not start a war but it is prepared for war every single day," Taiwan News reported citing Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng as saying.
His comment came after Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Tai-san earlier said that the frequent intrusions by Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ amounted to a "quasi-war-like situation."
However, the defence minister said he did not want to comment on Tai-san's statement.
He reiterated his earlier assertions that Taiwan was not looking for war and would not start a conflict with China, Taiwan News reported.
According to the publication, the defence chief had previously estimated China would be capable of launching a full-scale attack against Taiwan by 2025.
Meanwhile, on October 3, Taipei had also informed that at least 58 Chinese warplanes have entered its ADIZ in just two days.
Taiwan has surfaced one of the biggest incursions by Beijing in the last few days.
The incursions happened as Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.
China has also threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war. On June 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to complete reunification with self-ruled Taiwan and vowed to smash any attempts at formal independence for the island.
( With inputs from ANI )
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