Xi Jinping calls for “peaceful” reunification with Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Saturday that a “peaceful” reunification of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland is in Beijing’s interests, despite increased military threats against the autonomous island.

Xi spoke at an official celebration at the Beijing People’s Grand Palace which largely focused on the need for the ruling Communist Party to continue ruling China as the country gains power and influence. .

“The reunification of the nation must be achieved, and will certainly be achieved,” Xi vowed before an audience of politicians, military personnel and others gathered in the imposing chamber that serves as the seat of China’s ceremonial legislature.

“Reunification in a peaceful manner is most in the general interest of the Chinese nation, including Taiwanese compatriots,” added the leader.

Xi’s remarks came just days after the Chinese military sent a record number of military jets to fly to Taiwan in exercises that the autonomous island called a threat. In four days, starting last week, the Mainland People’s Liberation Army has flown fighter jets, bombers and early warning planes 149 times towards Taiwan, the largest maneuver involving 52 planes.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 amid a civil war, with the then-ruling Nationalist Party fleeing to the island as Mao Zedong’s communists rose to power on the mainland.

Saturday’s ceremony in Beijing was in honor of the 110th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution which led to the overthrow of the Qing Emperors and the establishment of the Republic of China under Sun Yat-sen. Taiwan celebrates October 10 as a national holiday, and Xi’s speech addressed common aspirations for a unified future, despite the stark differences between China’s authoritarian one-party system and Taiwan’s vibrant multi-party democracy.

Taiwan’s National Day celebrations this year will include a rare display of military equipment, including missiles and a fighter jet performance to be held in front of the Presidential Office building in the center of the capital, Taipei on Sunday.

This marks the first inclusion of military hardware in official Taipei celebrations in years, and the first since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016.

Local media coverage of rehearsals of the celebration showed large missile launchers circling the streets of Taipei, although the missiles themselves were not directly visible.

In the past, the Taiwanese government has kept its missile capabilities out of public view to avoid appearing provocative, said Kuo Yu-jen, a defense studies expert at the Institute for National Policy Research in Taiwan.

Kuo added that Taipei believes it “must demonstrate that Taiwan has the capacity to deter the Chinese threat” as Beijing becomes “too assertive”.

In past years, the National Day celebration has featured choreographed performances by military police on motorcycles and flyovers by the island’s Air Force. However, missiles were not part of this display.

“I think it’s to boost the morale of the Taiwanese people,” said Fan Shih-ping, professor of political science at National Taiwan Normal University.

Taiwanese leader Tsai placed greater importance on national defense than her predecessor of the Nationalist Party closer to China, initiating a revitalization of the island’s shipbuilding industry and launching a construction program of submarines at the national level. She also instituted reforms in the military, including improving benefits for military personnel and even increasing the quality of food served in messes.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told lawmakers on Wednesday that the situation with China “is the most serious in 40 years that I joined.” Chiu later told reporters that he believed China would have “global” capabilities to invade Taiwan by 2025.

Since the split, Taiwan has been autonomous, but its sovereignty is denied by Beijing, which has refused to give up the option of the use of force to bring the island under its control. Beijing has also sought to isolate Taiwan internationally by excluding it from the United Nations and other international organizations and opposing official contacts between its government and nations that recognize China, especially the United States, which are legally bound to regard the threats against Taipei as a matter of “serious concern.”

US and Japanese officials have warned that China’s growing capabilities pose a growing threat to Taiwan’s security and that of the region.

“The Taiwan issue is purely an internal matter for China, which does not tolerate any outside interference,” Xi said on Saturday. “No one should underestimate the strong determination, will and ability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”