The remarks come amid the two countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years, after the Japanese prime minister said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

By Ben Blanchard TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday that a "return" to China is not an option for the island's 23 million people, after Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed his country's sovereignty claims in a call with U.

Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai firmly rejected Xi Jinping’s renewed sovereignty claims, insisting that a “return” to China is not an option for the island’s 23 million people

China fiercely objects to what it sees as any outside interference on self-ruled Taiwan, which it claims as its own.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call on Monday that Taiwan's "return to China" is a key part of the post-war international order, state news agency Xinhua reported.