A democratically ruled Taiwan has come under increased military and political pressure from Beijing to recognize its sovereignty, but Taipei has pledged to defend its freedom and declared that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
Speaking at the Great People’s Hall in Beijing, Xi said that the Chinese people have a “glorious tradition” of countering separatism.
“Separatism for Taiwan’s independence is the biggest obstacle to the reunification of the homeland and the most serious latent danger to national revival,” he said on the anniversary of the revolution that toppled the last imperial dynasty in 1911.
He added that peaceful “reunification” is best in the common interest of the Taiwanese people, but China will defend their sovereignty and unity.
He was a little softer than he was in July when, in his last major speech, he mentioned Taiwan and vowed to “crush” any attempts at formal independence. In 2019, he explicitly threatened to use force to take the island under Beijing’s control.
Since October 1, the Chinese air force has invaded Taiwan’s air defense identification zone for four consecutive days, with some 150 aircraft participating, although these missions have since ended. Xi did not mention these flights.
Taiwan says it is an independent country, officially called the Republic of China. The ROC was founded in 1912, and its government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated in the civil war against the communists who created today’s People’s Republic of China.
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