Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s “reunification” plans with Taiwan in his New Year’s speech on Tuesday. Xi laid down a clear warning about what Beijing regards as pro-independence forces within and outside of the island of 23 million people.
In his New Year’s speech on China’s state broadcaster CCTV, Chinese President Xi said, “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 said China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is unavoidable, and citizens on both sides “should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
In recent years, the Chinese military has stepped up its movement near Taiwan by doing military exercises and sending battleships and aircraft into disputed waters and airspace around Taiwan. Taiwanese officials consider it a creeping action to “normalize” China’s military presence.
China considers and claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory. However, Taiwan’s government rejects China’s claims and says only Taiwanese people have the right to decide their future, and China has to respect the people’s choices.
Tensions in the sensitive Taiwan Strait have remained high throughout the year, particularly since Lai Ching-te, branded a “separatist” by Beijing, became the island’s new president in May.
China gathered a sizable naval force earlier this month in the East and South China Seas and surrounding Taiwan after Lai made stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during a Pacific tour that Beijing had criticized.
China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its authority, held two rounds of war simulations surrounding the island in 2024, claiming they were warnings against “separatist acts” and pledging to take additional action if necessary.
China has been known for its ambitious border claims with its 12 neighbouring countries. These illegal claims have not only created tensions in the South China Sea but also have tense relations in the Himalayas.
China is a revisionist state trying to increase its border and create a permanent sense of fear among its neighbouring nations. The recent military modernizations and confrontations in the South China Sea have created a sense of threat perception among its Asian neighbours.
The US in its turn has regularly warned Beijing that any military action in the South China Sea will be disastrous for the region, and China should restrain from any unilateral move.
