In his second consecutive New Year’s address, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed his government's strong stance that Taiwan will ultimately be reunified with the other provinces of the communist country.
"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification," Xi said in his speech televised on the state-controlled CCTV.
These remarks come as Beijing has ramped up military activity around Taiwan, with near-daily operations in the surrounding waters, including large-scale exercises earlier this month and in May. On the same day as Xi's broadcast, Chinese aircraft entered the island nation’s air defense identification zone.
In October, Xi told delegates at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party that he preferred a peaceful integration with Taiwan but emphasized China "will never promise to give up the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures."
On December 12, Reuters reported that two senior members of Taiwan's National Security Council traveled to Washington for talks with officials from President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team. The meetings followed criticism by Trump during his campaign, suggesting Taipei should increase its financial contributions to its security.
Although the United States is mandated to provide defensive military assistance to the Taiwanese military under the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington is not obligated to involve U.S. personnel in the event of an invasion.
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