On the way to his third term, Xi Jinping reinforced this Sunday (16), the day of the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the speech he has adopted in relation to Taiwan. He said the aim was to promote peaceful reunification with the island — but that Beijing did not abandon the possibility of using force.
“Resolving the Taiwan issue is the Chinese people’s own business, and it is up to the Chinese people to decide,” he said in a message aimed at the international community, notably the United States. “And we reserve the option to take all necessary steps to do so.”
The island — which, despite being independent in practice, is considered a rebel province by Beijing — was at the center of geopolitical tension in early August after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the region in August. a measure that displeased even co-religionists.
Xi’s regime, after the Democrat’s departure, carried out a series of air exercises around Taiwan in what Taipei described as simulated attacks on its territory. The island’s government rejects the possibility of a war with its continental neighbor, but also says it will not take any step back in democracy.
For Beijing, reunification is also seen as a key part of the national rejuvenation plan, a goal of Xi’s administration. “The reunification of the motherland will be achieved”, he stressed this Sunday.
He continued: “We have waged a fight against separatism and interference and demonstrated our determination and ability to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose Taiwan’s independence.”
Taipei responded to comments. The island’s presidential office said the region is a sovereign and independent country. “Taiwan’s position is firm: not to back down on national sovereignty and not to compromise democracy; a battlefield meeting is absolutely not an option for either side,” he said in a statement.
Earlier, speaking to journalists, Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang, sanctioned by Beijing for being considered a separatist, said Xi Jinping should focus on his own people. “He should pay attention to the smoke and protest banners on Beijing’s Sitong Bridge, rather than thinking about using force to deal with Taiwan.”
The premier was referring to a rare protest against Xi and the restrictions imposed by Beijing to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The episode was recorded on Thursday (13), when banners calling Xi a traitor and dictator were placed on a bridge — and promptly removed by security forces.
Just before the Chinese CP congress began, a party spokesman took a similar line to Xi: he said that, as long as there is a chance, Beijing will do “its best” to resolve the Taiwan issue peacefully and that “means cannot peaceful” will be the last resort.
He also claimed, according to a report by the South China Morning Post, that Taiwan’s independence is a kind of dead end, with zero chances.
Taiwan is considered by leading international institutes that monitor the level of local freedoms as a liberal democracy and a free country. The American Freedom House describes the island as a vibrant and competitive democratic system, which has allowed three peaceful transfers of power between rival parties since 2000.
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