Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that no one could halt China’s reunification with Taiwan during his New Year’s speech on Tuesday. His remarks served as a stern warning to pro-independence advocates both within Taiwan and abroad.
Beijing has significantly increased military activities around Taiwan over the past year, with near-daily incursions by warships and aircraft into the island’s surrounding waters and airspace. Taiwanese officials view these actions as a deliberate attempt to normalize China’s military presence.
China considers Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, to be part of its territory. Taiwan’s government asserts that only its people can decide their future. “The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification,” Xi stated during his address, broadcasted on state-run CCTV.
In his New Year’s speech last year, Xi emphasized that reunification was inevitable, urging people on both sides to share a sense of purpose and pride in China’s national rejuvenation.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, sanctioned under the Taiwan Relations Act, have further strained relations between Washington and Beijing. China has consistently warned the U.S. against military ties with Taiwan, imposing sanctions on defense contractors involved in arms deals.
