Xi calls for âreunificationâ with Taiwan, issues threats
Qatar Tribune
dpa Beijing Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for âreunificationâ with Taiwan on Saturday, amid heightened tensions between Beijing and the self-governing ...
dpa BeijingChinese leader Xi Jinping called for âreunificationâ with Taiwan on Saturday, amid heightened tensions between Beijing and the self-governing island.Unification by âpeaceful meansâ would best serve the interests of the entire Chinese nation, Xi said at a ceremony held in Beijingâs Great Hall of the People to mark the 110th anniversary of the 1911 revolution that established the Republic of China.Officially calling itself the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan has had an independent government since Chinese Nationalists fled there from the mainland in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War to Mao Zedongâs Communists. Beijing considers the self-governing democracy part of its territory.âCompatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should stand on the right side of history and join hands to achieve Chinaâs complete reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,â Xi said, according to a report by Xinhua news agency.Referring to Taiwanâs desire for independence, Xi said, âThose who forget their heritage, betray their motherland, and seek to split the country will come to no good end.â Without naming the US, which is committed to Taiwanâs defence, Xi warned against foreign interference, saying, âThe Taiwan issue is a purely internal matter for China.â His comments come against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the region, with Chinese military aircraft carrying out 150 incursions into Taiwanâs air defence zone since October 1.Beijing is also disconcerted that Washington has elevated its relations with Taiwan.In Taipei, in response to Xiâs comments on âpeaceful reunificationâ and âone country, two systems,â Taiwanâs presidential spokesperson Xavier Chang warned Beijing that the responsibilities for maintaining peace and stability should be shared by regional players.Chang stressed that the Republic of China (ROC), which has never been part of the Peopleâs Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent nation whose future should be determined solely by the people of Taiwan.Chang said that the 1911 revolution had not established the foundation of an authoritarian regime but a democratic republic, as is in place in Taiwan.âItâs clear that, in Taiwan, the public by and large rejects âone country, two systemsâ and strongly defends freedom and a democratic way of life,â Chang said in a statement.The âone country, two systemsâ model was adopted by Beijing to bring the former European colonies of Hong Kong and Macau back under its control. Chang said that in Hong Kong, the âone country, two systemsâ model had failed as Beijing had broken its promise to allow Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years following the 1997 handover after British rule.