Xi Jinping says Taiwan’s ‘complete reunification’ with China will happen

What the report says

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China’s goal of Taiwan’s “complete reunification” will be achieved, arguing that the “tide of history” cannot be reversed. In a speech in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday, Xi described resolving the Taiwan question as a core mission of the Communist Party and said Beijing still favors peaceful reunification.

Al Jazeera reported that Xi repeated China’s position that Taiwan is part of China and promoted the Communist Party’s preferred “one country, two systems” framework, while urging people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to oppose Taiwan independence. The remarks were delivered at an event marking the 160th birth anniversary of Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary figure linked to the 1911 uprising that ended imperial rule in China.

Taiwan’s government rejected the comments. The island’s Mainland Affairs Council said it could not accept “one country, two systems,” which it views as a path to Communist Party rule. The council said Xi’s wording on unification was not materially different from earlier Chinese statements.

The speech comes amid heightened cross-strait tensions, including Chinese military activity near Taiwan and an upcoming APEC summit in China where Xi is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump. It also arrives shortly before local elections in Taiwan, making Beijing’s message politically significant for the region.