Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has stressed that Taiwan will not yield to pressure from China, but she urged Beijing to ease tensions through exchanges of people and dialogue.

Tsai gave an address on Monday outside the presidential palace in Taipei to mark Double Ten Day, which Taiwan considers as its founding day.

She said it is regrettable that in recent years, China escalated "military intimidations, diplomatic pressure, trade obstructions, and attempts to erase the sovereignty" of Taiwan.

She said the escalations "have threatened the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region."

Tsai also said, "the broadest consensus among the Taiwanese people and our various political parties is that we must defend our national sovereignty and our free and democratic way of life."

She added that "on this point, we have no room for compromise."

The president rejected armed confrontation between Taiwan and China as "absolutely not an option."

She said Taiwan is "willing to work with the Beijing authorities to find a mutually agreeable arrangement for upholding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" provided that "there is rationality, equality, and mutual respect." She called that "our shared responsibility."