Relevant parties should not "over-interpret" military exercises, said China`s defense ministry. The war games come days ahead of the new Taiwanese president`s inauguration, who may break with the "one China" principle.
"No matter what party is in government in Taiwan, we always have a single objective: to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Tsai said at a press conference during an official visit to Paraguay, its sole diplomatic ally in South America.
"We will continue the dialogue with mainland China, as even though, probably at this moment official negotiation channels have been temporarily interrupted, there still exist other options for communication and dialogue," she added.
Since 2008, Taipei and Beijing have witnessed a thaw in diplomatic relations after Taiwan`s China-friendly then-President Ma Ying-jeou signed a series of historic trade and tourism deals with the mainland.
However, China remains wary of the election of Tsai, who heads Taiwan`s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, fearing the new president may push for formal independence.
China`s civil war pitted communist forces against the ruling nationalists, prompting the latter to flee to Taiwan in 1949.
The conflict effectively resulted in two de facto states comprising the People`s Republic of China and the Republic of China in Taiwan.
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