China-Taiwan tensions are raising fears of a conflict. In Taipei, however, people don't seem worried
Taipei, Taiwan (CNN)China has stepped up pressure on Taiwan in recent weeks, flying dozens of warplanes near the self-ruled island in a show of strength that has put the entire region on edge.
But at a park in the Taiwanese capital on Thursday, the topic of conversation was about anything but the potential for conflict between Beijing and the island it considers part of its territory.
Huang and Chang, both grandmothers in their 80s, said they had spent the morning with friends chatting about snacks, tea and whether they should do some exercise.
War is not something they worry about, they said.
"We don't worry about it at all. The threat has always been there and there's nothing to worry about. If it were going to happen, it would've had happened a long time ago," said Huang, who said she preferred to be called Grandma Huang.
Their relaxed attitude stands in stark contrast to recent military maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait and terse statements from leaders in mainland China and Taiwan, which have been governed separately since the end of a civil war more than seven decades ago.
A group of older Taiwan women, including Huang and Chang, meeting up in a park in Taipei on Wednesday October 13.
So far in October alone, Beijing has sent more than 150 warplanes into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), breaking daily records for such incursions, which Taipei has vowed to respond to with radio warnings, anti-aircraft missile tracking or fighter jet intercepts.
On October 9, Chinese President Xi Jinping -- who has refused to rule out military force to capture Taiwan if necessary -- said "reunification" between China and Taiwan was inevitable.
A day later, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Taipei would not bow to pressure from Beijing. "Nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us," she said, adding that the future of the democratic island should be decided by its 24 million people.
"We are all Chinese"
Taiwanese and US officials have publicly estimated that Beijing could have the capacity to invade the island within the next six years.
But on the streets of Taipei, the mood this week was mostly relaxed and confident. While a few people said they were a bit worried about threats of forced "reunification" by Beijing, many believed the Chinese government would never really go ahead with it.
"I think mainland China and Taiwan have always co-existed peacefully. There are Taiwanese people in mainland China, and there are mainland people here in Taiwan. We are all Chinese people," said Vicky Tsai, 38, a market trader in Taipei.
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