Xi Jinping calls for Taiwan’s “reunification” with China in year-end address

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Ahead of presidential elections in Taiwan that are slated to be held on January 13, President Xi Jinping on Sunday in his year-end address asserted that Taiwan will be reunified with China, Fox News reported.

It reported that the tensions between China and Taiwan remain high, Xi has repeatedly affirmed China’s stance that Taiwan is a part of China and that it must be reunified, by force if necessary.

“All Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi said in Sunday’s address.

“The motherland will surely be reunified,” he added.

The speech was the second time in a matter of days that Xi addressed the Taiwan issue. Xi also vowed to reunify Taiwan on Tuesday during a symposium in Beijing commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong, the founding father of Communist China.

“The complete reunification of the motherland is an irresistible trend,” Xi said at the event, adding that China would “resolutely prevent anyone from splitting” the two sides.

Meanwhile, in Taiwan, residents are preparing to head for the polls. Current opinion polls show residents favoring independence-leaning candidate Lai Ching-te.

China has bristled at any international indication of Taiwan’s independence. Xi’s military conducted weeks of live-fire exercises around the Island in 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, travelled there, Fox News reported.

Lai Ching-te, the front-runner and currently Taiwan’s vice president from the ruling Democratic People’s Party, said in a televised debate Saturday that he was open to communicating with the government in Beijing, which has refused to talk with him or President Tsai Ing-wen, Voice of America reported.

Beijing favors the candidate from the more China-friendly Nationalist, or Kuomintang, Party and has criticized Lai and Tsai as “separatists,” accusing them of trying to provoke a Chinese attack on Taiwan.

Earlier, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has claimed that the “reunification” of Taiwan with China is “inevitable,” emphasising Beijing’s longstanding stance ahead of a crucial election in Taiwan next month, CNN reported.

Xi made these remarks during an address marking the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China.

“The realisation of the complete reunification with the motherland is an inevitable course of development, is righteous and what the people want. The motherland must and will be reunified,” said Xi.

Xi’s statements reiterate China’s claim over Taiwan, a self-ruled island democracy, and align with his broader goal to enhance China’s global power and stature. The timing is significant as Taiwan approaches a critical presidential vote, where political parties’ positions on relations with China often serve as a gauge of public sentiment on Beijing, as reported by CNN.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who has faced increased pressure from Beijing during her tenure, is widely perceived as strengthening Taiwan’s unofficial ties with the United States. The leading candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party, Vice President Lai Ching-te, is currently ahead in the polls but is not favoured by Chinese officials.

China’s Communist Party considers Taiwan its own territory, despite never having controlled it. While emphasising a preference for peaceful “reunification,” Chinese officials have not ruled out the use of force. Xi’s speech included a veiled warning, urging the promotion of peaceful cross-strait ties and preventing any attempts to separate Taiwan from China.

Taiwan remains a sensitive issue in US-China relations. During a recent summit with US President Joe Biden, Xi asserted that China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is “unstoppable.” The United States maintains an unofficial relationship with Taiwan, recognizing China’s position that Taiwan is part of its territory. However, the US is obligated by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

The historical roots of the Taiwan-China relationship trace back to 1949 when General Chiang Kai-shek fled with his nationalist forces to Taiwan after Mao’s Red Army gained control in the Chinese Civil War.

Xi’s speech also called on Chinese citizens to “never forget” Mao and the Communist Party’s “original aspiration and founding mission” as they advance the cause of Chinese modernisation, CNN reported. (ANI)