On Wednesday, China refused to rule out the possibility of using force to unite Taiwan with the mainland, accusing “external forces” of supporting and provoking aggressive activities by separatist forces.
Beijing, however, stated that “one country, two systems” and “peaceful reunification” are the best ways to achieve national reunification and our guiding principles for settling the Taiwan issue.
The military exercise that China planned last week in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has gone much beyond the initial four-day schedule that it had announced last week, showing that China is not inclined to scale back its aggressive posturing. The conclusion of the ongoing drills has not been specified by Beijing.
Beijing’s stern attitude on Taiwan was reinforced in the most recent policy paper on the subject, which was published by the Chinese government on Wednesday and came amid escalating regional tension.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been launching missiles while its fighter jets and warships have violated Taiwan’s air and waterspace by crossing the fictitious media line on the Taiwan Strait. This has been going on for almost a week.
External forces have encouraged and instigated provocative actions by the separatist forces; these have intensified cross-Straits tension and confrontation, and undermined peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” it said, in what appeared to be referring to Pelosi’s visit and Washinton’s support for Taiwan, despite having no official ties with the island given that US backs the “one China” principle
Unprecedented military exercises are being conducted in China, according to state media, as a preparation for Taiwan’s ultimate “reunification” with the mainland and as a strategy to encircle it.
After putting an end to pro-democracy demonstrations in the city and installing mainland loyalists as its new leaders, Beijing has faced harsh international condemnation for the ways in which it has undermined the system in Hong Kong.
The views of many Taiwanese who oppose unification with the mainland but support sustained close economic cooperation were completely ignored in China’s white paper on Taiwan.
The report made reference to UNGA Resolution 2758, stating that it was “a political declaration containing the one-China principle, whose legal authority leaves no room for doubt and has been acknowledged worldwide.”
