On September 29, 2024, on the eve of China’s National Day, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the awards ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech that no one can prevent the “reunification” of China and Taiwan New Year’s Speech On Tuesday, it issued a clear warning to what Beijing considers pro-independence forces inside and outside the island of 23 million people.
Last year, Beijing stepped up military pressure near Taiwan, sending warships and aircraft into the sea and airspace around Taiwan on an almost daily basis in what Taiwanese officials viewed as a quiet effort to “normalize” China’s military presence.
China regards democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. But the Taiwan government rejected Beijing’s argument and said only the Taiwanese people can decide their own future and Beijing should respect their choices.
“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family, and no one can sever our family ties, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification,” Xi said in a speech on China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
In his New Year’s address last year, Xi Jinping said that the “reunification” of China and Taiwan is an inevitable trend and that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait “should be of one mind and share the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
Tensions in the sensitive Taiwan Strait remained high throughout the year, especially after Lai Ching-te, considered a “separatist” by Beijing, took office as Taiwan’s new president in May.
China’s massive naval buildup around Taiwan and in the East and South China Seas drew criticism from Beijing earlier this month after Jimmy Lai’s trip to the Pacific stopped in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.
China has never given up the use of force to control Taiwan and has conducted two rounds of military drills in the island this year, saying it was a warning against “separatist behavior” and vowing to take further action if necessary.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, permitted under the Taiwan Relations Act, also continue to strain relations between Beijing and Washington.
China has frequently warned the United States against establishing any military ties with Taiwan and imposed sanctions on military suppliers and their top executives.
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