Xi Jinping vows to ‘unify’ China and Taiwan

Xi Jinping warns other powers not to underestimate Beijing’s ‘determination and capability’ to unite Taiwan and China.

Xi Jinping attends the commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. Picture: AFP.

From the ceremonial heart of communist power in Beijing, President Xi Jinping pledged yesterday to achieve the “unification” of Taiwan with China after dispatching a record number of warplanes around the island.

Although Xi said that China viewed “peaceful” unification as in its “best interests”, he has been escalating displays of military might across the Taiwan Strait, raising fresh fears that Beijing could seize the island by force.

Xi issued warnings against Taiwanese independence and alleged foreign interference after revelations of a US military training mission on the island and as American and British vessels stage operations in the disputed South China Sea.

He delivered his televised address from the Great Hall of the People to party leaders and military brass on the 110th anniversary of the uprising that overthrew the Qing imperial dynasty, an event celebrated on both sides of the strait. “Those who forget their heritage, betray their motherland, and seek to split the country will come to no good end,” Xi said. “They will be disdained by the people and condemned by history.”

He described “Taiwan independence separatism” as “the most serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation”. He insisted “the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair, which tolerates no external interference. No one should underestimate the Chinese people’s strong determination, will and capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Taiwan is a de facto sovereign state, ruled by an elected government, but has not declared formal independence. Beijing regards the island as a renegade province that must be merged with the mainland – by force if necessary.

Xi reiterated Beijing’s proposal to merge Taiwan under a “one country, two systems” model. But that plan was viewed with derision on the island even before China crushed freedoms supposedly guaranteed in Hong Kong under the same model.

Xi’s words appeared less harsh than his last comments on Taiwan in July, when he promised to “smash” any attempts at formal independence.

Some analysts wondered whether he was seeking to strike a more conciliatory tone. But Richard McGregor, a China expert at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, and author of Xi Jinping: The Backlash, said: “I would take much more notice of the increasing tempo of military harassment of Taiwan than reading the tea leaves of any Xi speeches.

“The commitment of the Communist Party leadership to take Taiwan is absolutely baked into the cake in Chinese internal politics. It doesn’t matter if Xi is in charge or not. The tactics may vary but the policy’s endgame will not shift.”

The anniversary follows a particularly fraught week in the Taiwan Strait. China flew nearly 150 planes into Taiwan’s air defence zone in a four-day period, prompting Chiu Kuo-cheng, the island’s defence minister, to describe tensions as “the most serious” in more than 40 years.

The Pentagon criticised China’s “provocative military activities” and said “the US commitment to Taiwan is rock solid” as American and British vessels, including the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group, staged exercises near by.

Chinese officials have responded angrily to the foreign naval deployments in the South China Sea, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.

Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s president, will have the chance to respond to Xi’s comments in her address today marking the island’s National Day. “The nation’s future rests in the hands of Taiwan’s people,” her office said yesterday.

The Sunday Times