Chinese National Day: Xi Jinping promises reunification with Taiwan on eve of Communist China's 75th anniversary

Hong Kong
CNN
—

Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated his commitment to achieving reunification with Taiwan on the eve of the 75th anniversary of communist China, as Beijing flexed its military might in the run-up to the national day.

On Monday, at a state banquet celebrating the founding of the People's Republic, Xi used his speech to emphasize his determination to achieve complete reunification of the motherland.

It is an irreversible trend, a cause of justice and a common aspiration of the people. No one can stop the march of history, he told thousands of people at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own, although it has never controlled it, and has vowed to reunify the self-governing democracy, by force if necessary.

But many island residents consider themselves typically Taiwanese and have no desire to be part of communist China.

The two sides have been ruled by separate governments since 1949, after the end of the Chinese Civil War. The Communists seized power in Beijing and founded the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, while the defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan, moving the headquarters of the Republic of China from the mainland to Taipei.

Successive Chinese leaders have pledged to one day take control of Taiwan, but Xi, China's most assertive leader in decades, has stepped up his rhetoric and aggression against the democratic island, fueling tensions across the Strait and raising fears of a military confrontation.

Taiwan is China's sacred territory. Blood is thicker than water, and people on both sides of the strait are linked by blood, Xi said at the banquet attended by more than 3,000 people, including officials, party leaders and retirement and foreign dignitaries.

He also called for deeper economic and cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and promoting spiritual harmony between compatriots on both sides.

(We must) resolutely oppose Taiwan's pro-independence separatist activities, Xi said.

Beijing has called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-tea a dangerous separatist, and tensions have escalated since Lai's inauguration in May, during which he called on China to stop its intimidation of Taiwan.

Taiwanese officials say Beijing has stepped up military activities around the island in recent months, including exercises in May that the Chinese military said were intended to test its ability to seize power on the island.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said on Sunday it was on alert after detecting several waves of missile launches deep in China's interior.

The missiles were fired by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Rocket Force in the interior regions of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the defense forces Taiwan Air Force maintained a high level of vigilance and reinforced their alert. .

It comes just days after China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean for the first time in 44 years, in a rare public test that analysts said was intended to send a message to the United States and their allies in a context of increased regional tensions.

The Taiwan issue has become a major point of contention between China and the United States, which maintains close but informal relations with Taipei and is required by law to provide the island with weapons to defend itself.

US President Joe Biden approved an additional $567 million in military support for Taiwan on Sunday, in the largest aid package the United States has given to the island. The funding will cover defense items as well as military education and training, the White House said in a statement. statement.