Xi's call for unity with Taiwan amid rising tensions
In Tuesday's New Year address, China's leader, Xi Jinping, stressed the necessity of unifying China with Taiwan and warned that Beijing would not let anyone break its "family ties" with the island. Xi's speech last year had a similar tone. Since then, relations between the countries have significantly deteriorated.
- People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have blood ties, and these family ties will always be stronger than others - Xi announced on Tuesday in a speech broadcast by the state television CCTV.
Reuters reminds us that Xi's speech last year had a similar tone, stating that people on both sides of the strait should be "united by a common sense of purpose and glory resulting from China's rejuvenation." Since then, tensions between Taipei and Beijing have significantly intensified, especially when the decisive supporter of the island's independence, Lai Ching-te, won the presidential elections in May.
Taiwan exercises war game
On 26th December, Taiwan conducted its first computer war game, forecasting military escalation in the conflict with China. The exercises simulated various scenarios, including intense Chinese military actions in the "grey zone" (below the threshold of war), as well as situations where Taiwan is on the brink of conflict, to test the readiness of Taiwanese offices and society to respond - an anonymous representative of Taiwan's security forces reported.
Two weeks earlier, Taiwan's Ministry of Defence reported that the number of Chinese vessels, including Coast Guard units, deployed near the island is the largest since the major Chinese military manoeuvres in 1996.
China increases pressure
The communist authorities of China consider democratically governed Taiwan as part of their territory and seek to take control over it. Beijing declares a preference for peaceful unification methods but does not rule out the use of force. In recent years, China has increased military pressure on the island, regularly sending fighter jets and ships near it.
Taiwan allocated a record €18 billion for defence in 2024, and due to the growing threat to the island's security, next year's defence budget is set to be 6% higher.
