Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has rejected Chinese President Xi Jinping's comment that unification with Taiwan is the natural course of history.

Tsai made the remarks while speaking to reporters after delivering her New Year's Day address on Monday.

In her speech, Tsai called for stronger defense for Taiwan. She said that peace requires practical capabilities more than it requires goodwill. She said Taiwan should show its resolve to defend itself in order to buttress international efforts to preserve peace and stability in Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait.

Tsai also called for the resumption of what she called healthy and orderly exchanges with China as soon as possible.

She reiterated a desire to seek a path toward Taiwan's long-term stable and peaceful coexistence with China through dialogue as an equal party.

After her speech, she responded to a reporter's question about Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks in his New Year's Eve message that the unification of the motherland is a historic inevitability.

Tsai said Taiwan is a democratic nation and the sort of relations Taiwan establishes with China in the future should be ultimately decided through the democratic process.

Regarding the next presidential election scheduled for January 13, Tsai expressed hope that candidate Lai Ching-te from her ruling Democratic Progressive Party will win to become her successor. Lai has been serving as vice president in her administration.

Tsai said she is confident that the people of Taiwan will make the right decision over the question of whether Taiwan will continue to move towards the international community or turn its back on it.