Xi says China will ‘surely be reunified’ with self-ruled Taiwan in New Year’s address

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would “surely be reunified” with Taiwan during his televised New Year’s address, renewing Beijing’s threats to take over the self-ruled island, which it considers its own.

Taiwan split from China amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing continues to regard the island of 23 million with its high-tech economy as Chinese territory and has been ramping up its threat to achieve that by military force if necessary.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year message in Beijing to ring in 2024. Credit: AP

“China will surely be reunified, and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose,” Xi said in his annual address, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

China has described Taiwan’s January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections as a choice between war and peace.

Beijing considers the presidential front-runner, William Lai, who currently serves as vice president from the ruling Democratic People’s Party, a “separatist” and has accused him and Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen of trying to provoke a Chinese attack on the island.

On Saturday, Chen Binhua, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, called Lai a “destroyer of peace” following a televised debate earlier that day in which Lai defended Taiwan’s right to rule itself as a democracy.

Chen said Lai’s discourse at the debate was “full of confrontational thinking,” adding that the vice president is “the instigator of a potential dangerous war in the Taiwan Strait”.

Lai had said during the debate that Taiwan is not subordinate to China and that he was open to communications with Beijing “as long as there is equality and dignity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.” While Lai doesn’t describe himself as seeking independence from Beijing, he generally maintains Taiwan is already an independent country.

Lai’s election rivals include Hou Yu-ih from the more China-friendly Kuomintang party, and Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People’s Party.

Economic reform

The government has in recent months announced a series of measures to shore up China’s feeble post-pandemic economic recovery, which is being held back by a property slump, local government debt risks and slow global growth.

In his speech, Xi said China would deepen reforms to shore up confidence in the economy.

Xi said China will “consolidate and enhance the positive trend of economic recovery, and achieve stable and long-term economic development,” Xi said.

“We must comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, further boost confidence in development, enhance economic vitality, and make greater efforts to promote education, promote science and technology, and cultivate talents.”

Exports had been a key source of growth for China during the pandemic, but muted global demand has weighed on shipments in 2023.Credit: AP

Xi voiced his concerns over difficulties facing some firms’ operations and the hardship facing some people in employment and their daily lives, and the impact of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes in some regions.

China will promote high-quality development and balance development and security in a well-coordinated way, Xi added.

Analysts expect China’s economic growth to hit the official target of around 5 per cent this year, and Beijing is expected to maintain the same target next year.

Earlier this month, top Chinese leaders met and laid out economic plans for 2024, pledging to take more steps to support the recovery. The central bank has pledged to step up policy adjustments to support the economy and promote a rebound in prices, amid signs of rising deflationary pressures.

AP, Reuters

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