China doubles down on peaceful reunification with Taiwan
China says it would continue efforts to unify Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) with the mainland through peaceful means, vowing to take resolute steps to oppose the self-ruled island’s push for independence.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang made the remarks at the opening of the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) which kicked off in Beijing on Sunday.
“We should promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and advance the process of China’s peaceful reunification,” Li told some 3,000 delegates at Beijing's enormous Great Hall of the People.
He said Beijing remains committed to the 'One China' principle, which states that Taiwan is part of China, stressing that the government should “take resolute steps to oppose Taiwan independence and promote reunification.”
Following Li’s comments, Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said Beijing should face up to the reality that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "not subordinate to each other".
It further urged China to “pragmatically handle cross-strait affairs with an attitude of rationality, equality and mutual respect” in order to create conditions for healthy interactions.
China has sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, and under the ‘One China’ policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty, meaning that they would not establish diplomatic contact with the island's secessionist government.
The US, too, claims commitment to that principle, but in violation of its own stated policy and in an attempt to antagonize Beijing, Washington has courted the secessionist government in Taipei, supporting its anti-China stance, and supplying it with a large cache of weaponry.
Tensions over the self-ruled Taipei intensified following a provocative visit there in August by the US House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi -- which prompted large-scale Chinese military drills around the island territory – as well as a declaration by US President Joe Biden to defend Taiwan.
Beijing has often emphasized that the issue of Chinese Taipei is a red line that must not be crossed.
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