‘Reunification’ must be fulfilled, says Xi Jinping | Sunday Observer
China-Taiwan tensions:

‘Reunification’ must be fulfilled, says Xi Jinping

10 October, 2021

BEIJING, Oct. 9 (BBC) - China’s President Xi Jinping has said that “Reunification” with Taiwan “Must be fulfilled”, as heightened tensions over the island continue.

Xi said unification should be achieved peacefully, but warned that the Chinese people had a “Glorious tradition” of opposing separatism.

In response, Taiwan said its future lay in the hands of its people.

Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state, while China views it as a breakaway province. Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve unification. Xi’s intervention comes after China sent a record number of military jets into Taiwan’s air defence zone in recent days. Some analysts said the flights could be seen as a warning to Taiwan’s President, ahead of the island’s national day on Sunday. Taiwan’s Defence Minister has said that tensions with China are at their worst in 40 years.

But Xi’s remarks on Saturday were more conciliatory than his last major intervention on Taiwan in July, where he pledged to “Smash” any attempts at formal Taiwanese independence.

Speaking at an event to mark the 110th anniversary of the revolution that overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty in 1911, he said unification in a “Peaceful manner” was “most in line with the overall interest of the Chinese nation, including Taiwan compatriots”.

 

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