Xi Jinping's call for Taiwan unification heightens tensions
In Tuesday's New Year address, Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized the necessity of unifying China with Taiwan and warned that Beijing would not allow anyone to 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.
Xi announced on Tuesday in a speech broadcast on state television CCTV that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have blood ties, and these family ties will always be stronger than others.
Reuters reminds us that Xi's speech last year had a similar tone, stating that people on both sides of the strait should be "bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Since then, tensions between Taipei and Beijing have significantly intensified, especially since Lai Ching-te, the decisive supporter of the island's independence, won the presidential elections in May.
Taiwan exercises war game
On December 26, 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) and 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 CAD 25 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.
