“The complete integration of our country will be and can be realized,” Xi Jinping said. AFP
Beijing:
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that a “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan “will happen and be felt” as tensions between Beijing and Taipei escalated on a day when a record number of Chinese warplanes were deployed to defend the democratic island’s air defenses. crossed the area.
Self-governing Taiwan, which has never formally declared independence, remains under constant threat of invasion by China, which sees the island as its own territory and vows to one day seize it forcefully if necessary. Has ditched.
“Realizing national integration by peaceful means serves the interests of the entire country, including our brothers in Taiwan,” Xi said in a speech marking the 110th anniversary of a revolution. of China.
A large portrait of Sun Yat-sen, the Western-educated physician who founded the Republic of China, which remains Taiwan’s formal name, ascended the stage as Xi spoke.
Sun led the fall of the Qing Empire in 1911, which was eventually seen as a precursor to the Communist Revolution, making him one of the few figures respected on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.
“The complete integration of our country will be and can be realized,” Xi said.
He also warned against foreign interference in Taiwan after a Pentagon official confirmed that US special operations forces had been quietly training Taiwanese troops for months.
“The Taiwan issue is entirely China’s internal matter and no outside interference is allowed,” he said.
“No one should underestimate the determination, strong will and tremendous ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
rising pressure
Beijing has increased pressure on Taipei since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, which sees the island as “already independent”.
“Taiwan’s independence is the biggest obstacle to homeland reunification and a grave hidden danger,” Xi warned. “Those who forget their origins, betray the motherland, or divide the country, never have a good end, and will inevitably be rejected by the people and tested by history. “
Tsai is scheduled to speak on Sunday at an event commemorating the revolution of 1911, one of the few that united China and Taiwan.
Taiwan’s defense minister said on Wednesday that military tensions with China were at their highest level in four decades, after nearly 150 Chinese warplanes – a record number – infiltrated Taiwan’s air defense sector in recent days.
Xi’s remarks came after Britain last week sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait challenging Beijing’s claim on the sensitive waterway, and a French delegation visited Taiwan despite warnings from China.
On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rebuked comments made by Alain Richard, a member of the French delegation, who referred to Taiwan as a “country” during a speech on Thursday.
Zhao said that former French Defense Minister Richard made the remarks “out of selfishness to undermine relations between China and France”, adding that his use of the word “country” violated international practice “clearly”. ” did.
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