Xi Jinping on Taiwan Reunification
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the tide of history cannot be stopped. He urged peaceful reunification with Taiwan and did not mention using force. However, Taiwan's government firmly rejected his remarks.
China views Taiwan, which is democratically governed, as its own territory. Taipei strongly rejects this claim. China has repeatedly offered a "one country, two systems" model of autonomy, but no major Taiwanese political party supports it.
Xi said resolving the Taiwan question is an "unwavering historical mission" of China's Communist Party. He made these remarks in a speech at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
"The tide of history cannot be stopped. The complete reunification of the motherland must be realised, and it will certainly be realised."
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said neither the government nor Taiwan's people could accept "one country, two systems." The council said this would mean submitting to the Communist Party's authoritarian rule.
"As for the wording on Taiwan unification, it isn't much different from the past," council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh told reporters.
Speech on Sun Yat-sen's Birthday
Xi's comments came during a speech on the 160th birthday of revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen. Sun helped lead a 1911 revolt that ended centuries of rule by emperors and empresses and brought in the Republic of China.
Xi said China follows "peaceful reunification and the policy of 'one country, two systems'." He said China is willing to talk to Taiwan while upholding the "one-China principle," which is Beijing's position that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one country.
Xi added that all Chinese, including those in Taiwan, should join hands to oppose Taiwan independence "separatist" forces and work for peaceful development of cross-Strait ties.
Chinese Military Activity Near Taiwan
Although Xi did not mention the use of force, China has never ruled it out for Taiwan. China's military operates around the island every day and is extending its reach further into the Pacific.
Taiwan's defence ministry said it detected 29 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets and drones. They carried out a "joint combat readiness patrol" around Taiwan along with Chinese warships, starting on Thursday.
Taiwan Tells People to Stay Away
Xi's speech comes a week before the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China's southern tech hub. He is due to meet US President Donald Trump there. It is also a little more than two weeks before important local elections in Taiwan.
Last month, Taiwan asked its people to avoid China's events marking the Sun anniversary. Taiwan said China has a distorted view of Sun and his legacy.
Beijing calls Sun a great national hero and patriot. Beijing also calls him the forerunner of the 1949 communist revolution that forced the defeated Republic of China government to flee to Taiwan, where it remains to this day.
Xi said Sun was a great national hero, a great patriot, and a "great pioneer of China's democratic revolution."
"Mr Sun Yat-sen consistently upheld the unity of the country and the solidarity of the nation, and he firmly opposed all words and actions that split the country or the nation," Xi added.
'Father of the Nation'
In Taiwan, Sun is officially considered the "father of the nation." His portrait hangs in the presidential office. However, his political philosophy, "Three Principles of the People," is no longer a required text for schoolchildren.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party support Taiwan's separate identity from China. They have taken a tougher tone with Beijing on the role of the Republic of China.
Taiwan has been upset by Beijing's effort to claim credit for the victory in World War Two. Taiwan says it was the Republic of China government that fought alongside the allies, because the People's Republic of China did not exist at the time.
China calls Lai a "separatist" and has refused to speak with him. Lai says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
