Reunification with Taiwan is 'inevitable', Xi Jinping says; Taipei rejects the claim

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the full reunification of Taiwan with the motherland must be realised and certainly will be. Calling on Thursday (12 November) for a peaceful 'reunification' with Taiwan, he said the tide of history cannot be stopped, describing the resolution of the Taiwan question as the Chinese Communist Party's 'unswerving historic mission'. He made no mention of using military force in the speech.

Reuters reported that Xi made the remarks in a speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing marking the 160th birth anniversary of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen. Sun was among the leaders of the 1911 uprising that ended centuries of imperial rule in China and began the Republic of China.

Xi said China remains committed to 'peaceful reunification and one country, two systems'. Beijing is also ready to hold talks with Taiwan while upholding the 'one China' principle, he said. That principle is Beijing's position that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same country.

He added that all Chinese people, including those in Taiwan, should jointly oppose Taiwanese independence 'separatist' forces and work for the peaceful development of relations across the strait.

China regards democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim Taipei has always rejected. Beijing has repeatedly offered Taiwan autonomy under a 'one country, two systems' model, but none of Taiwan's main political parties supports the model.

Taiwan's government rejected Xi's remarks. The Mainland Affairs Council said neither Taiwan's government nor its people can accept the 'one country, two systems' principle, because in the end it would mean surrendering to the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party.

Council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh told reporters: 'There is nothing new in the language of the remarks on Taiwan's reunification. There is not much difference from the previous position.'

Although Xi did not mention the use of force, China has never renounced the possibility of taking Taiwan by force. The Chinese military conducts activities around the island every day, while also expanding the scope of its military presence and operations in the Pacific region.

Taiwan's defence ministry said 29 Chinese military aircraft were detected around the island on Thursday. The aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets and drones, conducted a 'joint combat readiness patrol' around Taiwan in coordination with Chinese warships.