Xi says Taiwan ‘reunification’ must happen as history cannot be stopped

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the tide of history cannot be stopped as he urged the complete reunification of Taiwan with China⁴.

Xi said Taiwan’s complete reunification with China must be realised and will certainly happen⁶.

He said people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one country^1,3.

Xi said all Chinese, including those in Taiwan, should join hands to oppose Taiwan independence^1,3.

He vowed to bring Taiwan under Chinese control, according to coverage of the speech⁸.

The speech was largely about commemorating Sun Yat-sen, but his remarks on Taiwan drew the most attention⁵.

Xi said the course of history cannot be stopped^4,10.

Peace and pressure

Xi framed the goal as a peaceful reunification and said Beijing is willing to hold cross-strait talks based on the One-China principle^10,11.

He called for dialogue on Taiwan with what he described as people of vision⁷.

Xi described reunification with the mainland as an unswerving historical mission for the Communist Party⁷.

Beijing views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force⁹.

The remarks come amid Chinese military activity near the island¹⁰.

Taiwan says China is harassing shipping with a patrol off its east coast².

Xi’s account of a shared future is Beijing’s position; Taiwan’s complaint about the patrol is the other side’s account of current conditions^1,2.

He paired the call for talks with the statement that reunification is a mission that must be completed^6,7.

He said there is no room for Taiwan independence, while describing complete reunification as certain⁹.

Why it matters to investors

The speech came a week before Xi’s APEC summit with Trump⁶.

The timing puts Taiwan on the agenda of a US-China relationship that markets are watching closely ahead of that meeting^2,6.

Xi’s insistence that reunification is certain, alongside the offer of talks, leaves both a hard line and an opening for dialogue on the record^7,8.

Investors will watch whether Taiwan responds to the call for talks and whether the east coast patrols continue^2,7.

Xi’s speech sets out Beijing’s position in clear terms a week before his meeting with Trump^6,8.