China is pressing the Taiwan issue. Xi: Reunification is unstoppable

Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Wednesday in his New Year's address that the process of China's “reunification” is inevitable. He made this declaration shortly after the end of Chinese military exercises around Taiwan.

The leader of the People's Republic of China said in a speech broadcast by state media that “compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood.”

“The reunification of our homeland is in line with the times and is unstoppable,” Xi emphasized.

Earlier in the day, the Chinese military announced the end of military exercises around Taiwan. The communist authorities in Beijing recognize democratically governed Taiwan as an integral part of China's territory. The government in Taipei rejects Beijing's claims, calling them an attempt at “annexation” and emphasizing that only the country's residents can decide about its future.

In Xi's speech, he also talked about China's economic power, whose gross domestic product (GDP) “is expected to reach 140 trillion yuan (approx. USD 19.6 trillion – PAP) this year.” He noted that 2025 marked the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, bringing breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence, domestic chip production and space missions. Xi mentioned strengthening defense capabilities, including the commissioning of the Fujian aircraft carrier, the first such vessel with an electromagnetic catapult.

Announcing 2026, the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Xi called on citizens to have “steadfast faith” and further reforms. – Let us be full of energy and work tirelessly to make this great vision a reality – he appealed.

Discussing the economic situation during a meeting with political advisers, Xi admitted on Wednesday that the year had been marked by “very unusual pressures” but that the country had overcome the challenges while maintaining “overall social stability.” The politician quoted by the Xinhua agency estimated that “the growth rate (GDP – PAP) should reach about 5 percent.” Data on the economic climate in China's industrial sector (PMI) published that day showed an increase in December to 50.1 points, exceeding the threshold indicating the sector's expansion for the first time since March.

From Beijing Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

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