MEZIESBLOG

China continues to perceive Taiwan as a breakaway province, while the authorities in Taipei have repeatedly rejected Beijing’s proposal to stick to the “one country, two systems” principle.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged that his country’s peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan under a “one country, two systems” policy will “definitely” be implemented.

He spoke at a meeting in Beijing on Friday to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution that ended the nation’s last imperial dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China.

“To achieve the reunification of the motherland by peaceful means is most in line with the overall interests of the Chinese nation, including our compatriots in Taiwan”, Xi stressed.

He urged Taiwan to “stand on the right side of history jointly to create the glorious cause of the full reunification and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”.

Xi did not name any country directly when he warned of foreign interference in “the Taiwan issue”, which the president said was “entirely China’s internal affair”.

“No one should underestimate the Chinese people’s determination and strong ability to defend [our] national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The historical task of the complete reunification of the motherland must be fulfilled, and it will definitely be fulfilled”, Xi emphasized.

Full-Blown Invasion of Taiwan by 2025?

The remarks follow Taiwan’s Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng telling reporters earlier this week that China could be capable of mounting a “full-scale” invasion of the island by 2025. He also argued that China-Taiwan tensions are now at their worst in 40 years.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, for her part, told a security forum in Taipei on Friday that although her government was not interested in a military conflict, the island would do “whatever it takes to defend its freedom and democratic way of life”.

This comes after The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources as saying that about two dozen US special operations forces and marines have been secretly training Taiwanese troops “for at least a year”.