Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday, December 31, that “no one” could “stop” “reunification” with Taiwan, during a New Year’s address to the nation. “Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our blood ties, and no one can stop the historic trend of reunification of the motherland,” he said in the broadcast speech. by state media.
China and Taiwan have coexisted since 1949 with separate governments, but Beijing claims the island as an integral part of its territory and does not rule out using force to take control of it.
Beijing has intensified military and political pressure on Taipei in recent years, regularly sending warships and fighter planes around Taiwan.
In October, Taiwan said it had detected a record 153 Chinese military aircraft in 25 hours, after Beijing held large-scale drills that it called a “stark warning” to “pro-forces.” independence of Taiwan.
Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and largest arms supplier, angering Beijing. The United States has historically maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding possible military intervention if Taiwan were attacked by China.