China should stop its rattling of weapons against Taiwan and maintain peace and stability, the head of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, Chiu Tai-san, told Reuters.

"Beijing should stop its sabre-rattling as it only deepens the gap between the two sides and raises tensions in the region," Mainland Affairs Council minister Chiu Tai-san told a forum in Taipei.

"We call on mainland China to lay down arms and maintain peace and stability. The key to peace is not to approach problems by force," Chiu said, adding that Beijing should resolve differences with Taipei through "constructive dialogue without preconditions." 

"We urge mainland China to lay down arms and maintain peace and stability. The key to peace is to reverse the mindset of handling problems with force," Chiu said, adding Beijing should resolve disagreements with Taipei via "a constructive dialogue without preconditions."

He expressed hope that China can gradually ease its travel restrictions to control the COVID-19 pandemic so that both sides can resume healthy and orderly exchanges and create space for positive interaction.