Analysts have noted a softer tone in Beijing
Speaking in Beijing on Saturday, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping promised to seek “reunification” with Taiwan by peaceful means.
Photo: Photos from the video
Xi Jinping said in the Great Hall of the People's Assembly on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty, the biggest obstacle to China's reunification was the power of “Taiwan independence.”
“Those who forget their heritage, betray their homeland and seek to divide the country will not do anything good,” said Si Jinping.
As CNN points out, Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since the end of the civil war more than seven decades ago, in which defeated nationalists were evacuated to Taipei. However, Beijing considers Taiwan of about 24 million to be an integral part of its territory.
Si Jinping's speech was the day before the official anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising, which marked the beginning of a revolution that ended the monarchy in China – a date marked as National Day in Taiwan.
On Saturday, Jinping said he wanted peace reunification to take place within a “one country, two systems” policy similar to that used in Hong Kong. In his speech, Xi added that the Taiwan issue is an internal matter of China and “does not allow external intervention.”
“People should not underestimate the determination of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The task of complete reunification of China must be fulfilled and it will certainly be fulfilled, “the leader of the PRC promised.
Si Jinping's speech came amid growing military tensions in the Taiwan Strait. According to the island's Ministry of Defense, in four days in early October, the Chinese military sent nearly 150 fighters, nuclear-bombed bombers, anti-submarine aircraft and early warning and control aircraft to the Taiwanese air defense identification zone.
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This happened after Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Go-cheng told reporters on Wednesday that China could organize a “total” invasion of the island by 2025.
Although Xi did not mention the use of military force speech on Saturday, he had previously refused to rule it out.
However, his recent remarks were more peaceful than those he made on July 1 to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, in which he pledged to “completely defeat” all supporters of Taiwanese independence, CNN notes.
>The statement said that Taiwan's future and development was entirely in the hands of the island's people, adding that China should consider engaging in “peace, parity, democracy and dialogue”.According to The Guardian, Washington said he was “deeply concerned” about Chinese actions that are undermining peace in the Taiwan Strait. “We will stand up and speak privately and publicly when we see activities that are fundamentally destabilizing,” US Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said this week.
According to the Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, Taiwanese forces trained about two dozen US Special Forces soldiers and an unidentified number of Marines, the latest indicator of US involvement in tensions in the area. The report states that military training personnel were first sent to Taiwan by the Trump administration, but their presence has not yet been reported.
It was in this context that Saturday's speech by Si Jin-ping came under scrutiny, the Guardian's remarks. Analysts say Xi's speech was slightly softer than in July in his last major speech, which he mentioned in Taiwan, in which he promised to “crush” all attempts at formal independence. “In fact, in the section on Taiwan, he is relatively moderate – even down to earth -” said George Yin, leader of the Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, of the People's Republic of China. “Although the current situation seems tense, Xi does not want to get out of control in the Taiwan Strait in the end, especially after this week's meeting between Jake Sullivan and Xi's chief foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi.”