Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 3: Chinese President Xi Jinping in his New Year’s eve address reasserted Beijing’s resolve to achieve what he termed as the “reunification” of Taiwan with China. Speaking from the Great Hall of the People, Xi’s address also focused on economic growth, emphasising advancements in China’s burgeoning electric vehicle industry, which has surpassed the milestone of producing 10 million units.
“We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family. 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,” Xi said in a speech broadcast on state-run CCTV.
The Chinese leader’s speech comes amid heightened tensions in the Taiwan strait, where Beijing has escalated military pressure on the self-governed island through frequent air and naval exercises. Xi has consistently reiterated China’s determination to achieve reunification with Taiwan, viewing the island as an integral part of its territory.
Taiwan, however, remains firm in rejecting Beijing’s claims. President Lai Ching-te, a staunch advocate for Taiwan’s autonomy, has drawn Beijing’s ire, with Chinese officials labelling him a “dangerous separatist.” Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) strongly asserts Taiwan’s distinct identity and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims. Despite President Lai’s repeated calls for dialogue, Beijing has refused, dismissing such overtures as undermining China’s territorial integrity.
Xi’s address also comes weeks ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president, a critical moment for U.S.-China relations. Taiwan remains a flashpoint, as the U.S. continues to provide military support and arms to the island despite not officially recognising it as a separate nation. Trump has threatened higher tariffs on Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices, further straining ties between the two global powers.
It is an empty boast by Xi the Chinese dictator! The greatest obstacle for the a dictator is, the Chinese military known as People’s Liberation Army is not willing to fight! They know that the chances of fulfilling the mission of taking Taiwan by force is slim! They also know that they will be the ones who will put their lives in harms way and they are not seeing it’s worth the effort! As a result, it is likely that all those generals who have been dismissed under the guise of “corruption investigation” are the ones who didn’t consent to Xi’s military adventure on Taiwan. It is said the dictator is himself risk averse and is not somebody who is reckless. However, there are domestic compulsions that is fuelling Xi’s drive to invade Taiwan. Like Mao, Xi is said to be insecure and is constantly under the fear of being unseated by somebody. Therefore, he is getting rid of all those military personnel or anybody who is a threat to him to secure his own position. The irony is by so doing, he is alienating many powerful military personnel and individuals who would bear grudge against him and would bay for his blood! This is the conundrum of dictators who don’t have a people’s mandate. One important factor that is also a hurdle for Xi is the Chinese people don’t see the Taiwanese as their enemies! They see them as “Chinese” like themselves in their eyes even though the Taiwanese don’t agree. In fact 80% of Taiwanese don’t identify themselves as “Chinese” and sees themselves as Taiwanese. Therefore, if the Chinese communists invade Taiwan and kill them, the Chinese in China will not be pleased. They have a belief “Chinese should not kill Chinese”. The fact that the Chinese communists killed 1.2 million Tibetans did not matter nor prick the conscience of the Chinese people shows beyond a shadow of doubt that Chinese people don’t regard Tibetans as one of them! This is a historical fact that Tibetans and Chinese are different from each other both ethnically and in terms of nationhood. Coming back to the main story; an invasion of Taiwan is a nightmare scenario logistically. Unlike Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with tanks rolling in long columns, Taiwan is separated from China by 128 kilometers at the narrowest point. For a successful Invasion, there has to be massive stores of military equipment accompanied by thousands of troops. The Chinese have to have amphibious ships to ferry equipment and troops but they can only move slowly which makes them extremely vulnerable to long range missiles, air attacks and attacks by Taiwanese submarines! Therefore, it would be a blood bath even before any soldier and equipment can land on Taiwanese soil! Then there is the US which is obligated by the Taiwan Act to defend Taiwan. Considering all these scenarios, an invasion of Taiwan is going to be a very costly exercise which has no guarantee of success! That is why, the PLA is huffing and puffing to intimidate Taiwan into submission which is very unlikely!