Xi vows peaceful Taiwan 'reunification' as Chinese warplanes patrol island ahead of Trump meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on November 12 that Taiwan's “reunification” with China was inevitable and pledged to pursue it peacefully, even as Chinese fighter jets, drones and warships conducted military patrols around the democratically governed island.
Speaking in Beijing at an event marking the 160th anniversary of the birth of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen, Xi described bringing Taiwan under Beijing's control as an “unwavering historical mission” of the Chinese Communist Party.
“The tide of history cannot be stopped,” Xi said, according to Reuters. “The complete reunification of the motherland must be realised, and it will certainly be realised.”
Xi reiterated Beijing's preference for “peaceful reunification” under the “one country, two systems” framework and said China remained willing to hold talks with Taiwan, provided they were based on Beijing's “one-China principle.”
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has never ruled out using force to take control of the island. Taiwan has its own democratically elected government and rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.
Taiwan rejects Beijing's proposal
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council dismissed Xi's remarks, saying neither the island's government nor its people would accept the “one country, two systems” model, which it said would place them under the authoritarian rule of China's Communist Party.
“As for the wording on Taiwan unification, it isn't much different from the past,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh told reporters.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported detecting 29 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets and drones, conducting a joint combat readiness patrol around the island alongside Chinese warships on Thursday.
Xi's remarks came one week before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump, and just over two weeks before Taiwan's local elections.
The speech commemorated Sun Yat-sen, who helped overthrow China's last imperial dynasty in 1911 and establish the Republic of China. Both Beijing and Taipei honor Sun, although they interpret his political legacy differently.
The Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists. The People's Republic of China has never governed Taiwan.