Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has pledged to strengthen the island’s defenses in the face of escalating Chinese threats TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te pledged to strengthen the island's defenses in the face of escalating Chinese ...

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday that he welcomed equal, dignified, healthy and orderly exchanges with China, but wondered whether there was goodwill from Beijing given what he said was their blocking of simple things like tourism.

"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family," Mr Xi said in a speech televised on China's state broadcaster CCTV. “No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification.”