Xi Jinping says Taiwan reunification “must happen”
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick, Al Jazeera and Zambian Observer
Xi Jinping said that Taiwan’s “reunification” with China “will happen”, while reaffirming his support for a peaceful outcome. He renewed his commitment to the “one country, two systems” principle, according to Al Jazeera.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that reunification with Taiwan should and would eventually become a reality, during a speech in Beijing, according to Al Jazeera. He presented reunification as an irreversible historic mission and called on people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to oppose separatist forces.
Taiwan rejected the proposal, with its Mainland Affairs Council saying that the government and people of the island would not accept an arrangement placing Taiwan under the authority of the Chinese Communist Party. At the same time, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it had detected 29 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets and drones, as well as Chinese vessels around the island as part of a joint combat-readiness patrol.
Xi Jinping did not mention the use of force in his speech, although Beijing has never renounced that option in the dispute over Taiwan. His remarks come ahead of the next APEC summit in Shenzhen, where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump.
