China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable, President Xi Jinping said in his New Year’s address today, raising the tone from last year with less than two weeks to go before the island, which is claimed by China elects new leader.

Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Taiwan on January 13. China considers Taiwan its “sacred territory” and has not ruled out using force to bring it back under Chinese control, although Xi made no mention of military threats during his speech, which was broadcast on state television CCTV.

“The reunification of the motherland is a historical inevitability,” Xi said, although the official English translation of his remarks, carried by the Xinhua news agency, used a simpler phrase: “China will definitely be reunified.”

“Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share the glory of the renewal of the Chinese nation,” he added. The official English translation reads “all Chinese” instead of “compatriots”.

In his speech, Xi also emphasized that the Chinese economy is “more resilient and more dynamic than before.”

During 2023, the country’s economy brought the storm under control, the Chinese president emphasized in his speech.

In 2024, China will “stabilize and expand its positive trend of economic recovery” and “achieve stable and long-term economic growth,” Xi said.

“We must overall deepen reform and open up further, further promoting confidence in development, expanding economic vitality, and making greater efforts to promote education, promote science and technology, and cultivate talents,” the Chinese president stressed. .

Xi also expressed concern over the difficulties faced by some companies’ businesses and the hardships some people face in their employment and daily lives, as well as the impact of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes in some regions.

China will promote high-quality development and balance development and security in a coordinated manner, Xi added.