BEIJING, China — Chinese President Xi Jinping called Wednesday for renewed efforts toward “reunification” with Taiwan, reiterating Beijing’s opposition to the island’s independence and what he described as external interference.
Xi made the remarks in a speech at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on the eve of China’s National Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
“We must deepen cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, resolutely crack down on ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, oppose interference from external forces, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and advance the great cause of national reunification,” Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan has maintained its own government since the nationalist Kuomintang forces fled there after losing the Chinese civil war in 1949.
Xi’s remarks came days after his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, where Xi urged the United States to oppose Taiwan’s independence and exercise “prudence” on the issue.
Taiwan relies on the United States for security support, including arms purchases. Washington paused a $14 billion Taiwanese weapons purchase in May, with Trump describing the deal as a negotiating tool in US-China relations.
The developments have raised concerns in Taiwan about the future of US security support as Washington and Beijing manage broader tensions.
China founded the People’s Republic on Oct. 1, 1949, after Communist forces defeated the Kuomintang in a civil war that lasted about two decades.
Xi also said China faced “complex international and domestic situations” and called for faster efforts to build a new pattern of economic development.
“We must adhere to an independent foreign policy of peace … to inject more certainty and positive energy into a world intertwined with changes and turmoil,” Xi said, according to Xinhua.
