Tensions between China and Taiwan: Xi Jinping says “reunification” must be completed.
In light of the ongoing heightened tensions over Taiwan, China’s President Xi Jinping has stated that “reunification” with Taiwan “must be fulfilled.
According to Mr. Xi, peaceful unity should be the goal, but the Chinese people have a “noble record” of rejecting separatism. Mr. Xi warned.
Taipei responded by saying Taiwan’s destiny is entirely within their own hands.
While Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign nation, China sees it as a province that has broken away from the mainland.
Beijing hasn’t ruled out using force to bring the country together.
China recently dispatched a record number of military jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone, prompting Mr. Xi’s intervention.. Ahead of Taiwan’s national day on Sunday, some commentators suggest the flights could be interpreted as a warning to the president of Taiwan.
According to Taiwan’s defense minister, the country’s relations with China are at their lowest point in more than four decades.
EXPLAINER: What causes the chasm between China and Taiwan?
Even still, Mr. Xi’s statements on Saturday were more accommodative than his previous significant intervention on Taiwan in July, when he threatened to “smash” any attempts at official Taiwanese independence..
According to him, unification in a “peaceful manner” is “more in keeping with the overall interest of the Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots,” when speaking at a commemoration of China’s 1911 revolution.
No one should underestimate the Chinese people’s great ability to preserve national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the president said.
Achieving the historical goal of total national reunification is a top priority for him, as he stated.
Mr. Xi has stated that he favors unification based on the premise of “one country, two systems,” which is used in Hong Kong, a Chinese territory with some autonomy.
In any case, Taiwan’s presidential office asserted that the island’s people strongly oppose a single country with two distinct political systems. Separately, Taiwan’s Council on Mainland Affairs urged China to stop “provocative acts of intrusion, harassment, and damage” in Taiwan.
Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang accused China of “flexing its muscles” and inflaming tensions just hours before Xi spoke in Beijing.
The Foundations of China and Taiwan
What is causing the strained ties between China and Taiwan? Despite the fact that China and Taiwan were split during the 1940s civil war, Beijing is adamant that the island will be regained eventually, even if it means using force.
What kind of government does Taiwan have? The island is governed by democratically elected officials and has a standing army of around 300,000 people.
Who knows where Taiwan is? Taiwan is only recognized by a small number of countries. Instead, most people are familiar with the Chinese government in Beijing. Although the United States does not have diplomatic connections with Taiwan, it is required by law to supply the island with adequate means of self-defense.
The relationship between China and Taiwan has not deteriorated to the levels last seen in 1996 when China threatened to disrupt presidential elections with missile launches and the US sent aircraft carriers to the region to dissuade them, despite recent increased tensions.
China’s military show of strength has alarmed some Western countries, but US President Joe Biden said Mr. Xi has pledged to uphold the “Taiwan accord.”
According to Mr. Biden, Washington’s longtime “One China” policy, which recognizes China rather than Taiwan, was the inspiration for his statement.
However, Washington will be able to keep a “strong unofficial” relationship with Taiwan as a result of this deal. As part of Washington’s Taiwan Relations Act, which mandates that the US assist Taiwan in self-defense, the US supplies armaments to Taiwan.
When asked about activities that could “undermine peace and stability” across the Taiwan Strait by the BBC this week, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan replied that the US would “stand up and speak out.”
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China-Taiwan tensions: Xi Jinping says ‘reunification’ must be fulfilled
