“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family ties and no one can stop the historic trend of national reunification,” Xi said in a speech televised on China’s CCTV on New Year’s Eve.

China considers the democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. However, Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claims and says only its people can decide their future and Beijing must respect the choice of the Taiwanese people.

The message to Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to promote “world peace” in his New Year message to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, state media reported on Tuesday.

“No matter how the international situation changes, China will remain steadfast in further comprehensively deepening reforms… and promoting world peace and developments,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Since Putin’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, China has tried to present itself as a neutral party, in contrast to the United States and other Western nations.

However, it remains a close political and economic partner of Russia, leading some NATO members to label Beijing an “enhancer” of the war, which Beijing has never condemned.