Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his New Year’s address on Sunday that reunification with Taiwan is “inevitable”, weeks ahead of elections on the autonomous island that could reshape relations with Taiwan.
“The reunification of the motherland is a historical necessity,” Xi said. According to the official translation of his speech, “China will definitely be unified.”
“All Chinese people 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,” the text added.
Taiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, but the Chinese government considers the autonomous island of 23 million people to be “sacred territory” and has ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control. I haven’t.
China has become increasingly vocal about Taiwan in recent months, ramping up military pressure on the island through regular drills, while slamming the United States for approving $300 million in military aid to Taiwan earlier this month. ing. The U.S. government has a legal obligation to provide the island with the weapons it needs to defend itself.
Xi’s comments were made ahead of Taiwan’s January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections.
This is a close race between the ruling Democratic Party’s Lai Qingde, who has a strong independence orientation, and the opposition Kuomintang’s Hou Youxi, who has historically favored close ties with China. Lai currently leads in opinion polls, but both candidates have previously sought to emphasize peaceful relations with China during the campaign.