Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a New Year’s Eve speech that China and Taiwan are “one family” and vowed to take control of the self-ruled island.
“We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family,” Mr. Xi said, according to a transcript provided by the Foreign Ministry. “No one can ever sever the bond of kinship between us, and no one can ever stop China’s reunification, a trend of the times.”
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in October that Taipei will “uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty.”
At home, China’s economy is struggling with real estate problems and financial problems, although Mr. Xi insisted in his remarks that the economic has rebounded and is on an upward trajectory. China’s navy and air force celebrated their 75th anniversaries, and Chinese troops are “full of drive,” he added.
Mr. Xi also said Chinese researchers have made breakthroughs in integrated circuit, artificial intelligence, quantum communications and other areas.
