Chinese President says reunification with Taiwan must be achieved, rejects external interference

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday vowed for the reunification of Taiwan with the mainland amidst heightened tensions with the island.

Speaking in the Great Hall of the People to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the revolution that ended the country’s last imperial dynasty, President Xi said the biggest obstacle to the reunification of China was the “Taiwan independence” force. In his speech, Xi added the Taiwan issue is one of internal affairs for China and “allows no interference from outside.” “People should not underestimate Chinese people’s determination to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The task of complete reunification of China must be achieved, and it will definitely be achieved,” he said.

Xi said he wanted to see peaceful reunification occur under a “one country two systems” policy, similar to that used in Hong Kong. However, Taiwan rejects this system. Taiwan and mainland China have been separated since the end of a civil war more than seven decades ago, in which the defeated Nationalists fled to Taipei. Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state, however, Beijing views Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory even though the Chinese Communist Party has never governed the democratic island of about 24 million people.

Xi’s comments came after China sent a record 150 military jets into Taiwan’s air defence zone for four days in a row during this past weekend, in a public show of force. While Xi made no mention of the use of military force in his Saturday speech, Beijing has not ruled out so far the possible use of force to achieve unification. However, his latest remarks were more conciliatory than comments he made on 1st July to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s founding, in which he vowed to “crush” any supporters of Taiwan independence