According to Chinese state-run media, General Secretary Xi Jinping had threatened the “use of force” to “resolve the Taiwan problem” during the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing on Sunday.
Although Xi emphasized that his country’s goal is “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, the dictator was quick to add that communist China reserves the “option of adopting all necessary steps,” according to state-run CCTV News. While never explicitly addressing the US, Xi warned against “intervention” from “outside forces” in the “Taiwan matter.”
“Our nation’s complete reunification must be accomplished, and it can, without a doubt, be achieved!” Xi stated.
Beijing opposes Taiwanese sovereignty, and the People’s Liberation Army frequently threatens “forced reunification,” stating that Taiwan is run by “separatists.” The CCP founded the People’s Republic of China in the latter days of China’s Civil War, which concluded in 1949 when the Nationalists withdrew to Taiwan from mainland China.
Tensions in the Indo-Pacific region have risen in recent years as a result of Chinese military provocations, such as the PLA’s “rehearsal” Taiwan invasion in May. Furthermore, under Biden’s presidency, the PLA sent airplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone over 1,400 times, including when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taiwan in August.
The United States officially follows a “one China policy,” which “does not advocate Taiwan independence,” but provides the democratic island country with “defense products and services,” according to the US Department of State.
While the timing of a prospective Taiwan invasion is unknown, CIA Director William Burns stated in a July interview that Beijing aims to capture Taiwan with “overwhelming force.”
According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 2,300 delegates from across China will attend the week-long 20th Party Congress, which will take place from Oct. 16 to Oct. 22. According to CCTV News, at the inaugural session, Xi read from a work report and praised his administration’s supposed successes over the previous five years, claiming that the government has “pursued a strategy of national rejuvenation despite global changes of a size not seen in a century.”
Xi’s inaugural speech addressed a variety of domestic problems, including China’s alleged gains on food security, advances in rural internet connectivity, and the growth of China’s medical system, among others.
Xi was elected in the 18th Party Congress in 2012 and re-elected at the 19th Party Congress in 2017. Xi’s term has been distinguished by political purges that have resulted in more than 8.58 million arrests, according to Chinese state-run media.
In the intervening years, Xi overturned a constitutionally mandated rule that barred leaders from serving more than two terms, and he is now theoretically eligible for reelection for a third time during the 20th Party Congress.
Alternatively, Chinese legal scholars such as Dan Harris have hypothesized that Xi may rewrite the constitution once again, becoming the first Chinese leader to accept the title “chairman” since the office was abolished in 1982 – a job that would essentially elevate Xi above all legal constraints.
