Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed confidence in China’s reunification with Taiwan in his New Year’s address on Sunday.
In his New Year’s speech, the Chinese leader said China’s reunification with Taiwan is an inevitable outcome. His statement was delivered in a more assertive tone than last year, which is particularly notable as the island prepares to elect a new leader in less than two weeks. Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run China Central Television:
“China will surely be reunified, and 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.”
China will respect the religious and legal freedoms of the Taiwanese people under the unified concept of “one country, two systems”, Mr Xi said. But he warned that the deep political differences between Taiwan, a vibrant democracy, and China with an authoritarian government were no reason to reject unification.
Taiwan’s status has been contested by Communist leaders since 1949, when Kuomintang forces, defeated in the revolution, retreated to the island. Tensions rose again in the 1990s when Taiwan became a democracy and many voters on the island turned to politicians arguing that Taiwan should keep China at a distance or even declare full independence.
The latest escalation over Taiwan came in April, after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with then House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States. In response, Beijing launched a massive three-day military exercise near the island, calling it a warning to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers.
In August and September, Taiwan’s military reported numerous sightings of Chinese sea and air patrols around the island. On 18 September, the ministry reported a record 103 Chinese aircraft spotted near the island in a single day.
