China's Xi Says 'National Reunification' With Taiwan Will Happen
The Facts
Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping declared in his annual New Year's message on Tuesday that China's reunification with the democratically, self-governing island of Taiwan is an inevitable historical trend.
This statement echoes his comments in his 2023 speech, and comes as China has ramped up military pressure with large-scale drills around the island that Beijing claims as its own since William Lai Ching-te took over as Taiwan's president in May.
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
It doesn't matter how the situation in Taiwan develops or who is in charge of the island, China's process of rejuvenation and reunification will eventually be completed. The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of a single nation, and any attempts to split the motherland are doomed to fail.
Anti-China narrative
Despite Beijing's wishful thinking, it's about time for it to face reality and acknowledge Taiwan's sovereign independence. Calls for reunification under a foreign, socialist regime are unimaginable to the island's people and are merely proxies for Chinese Communist Party's tyrannical claims, which lack any historical legitimacy.
