Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated his pledge to achieve \u201creunification\u201d with Taiwan on the eve of Communist China\u2019s 75th birthday, as Beijing flexed its military might in the run-up to the national holiday. <\/p>\n
At a state banquet celebrating the founding of the People\u2019s Republic on Monday, Xi used his address to underscore his resolve to achieve the \u201ccomplete reunification of the motherland.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an irreversible trend, a cause of righteousness and the common aspiration of the people. No one can stop the march of history,\u201d he told the thousands in attendance at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. <\/p>\n
China\u2019s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own, despite having never controlled it, and has vowed to \u201creunify\u201d with the self-governing democracy, by force if necessary. <\/p>\n
But many people on the island view themselves as distinctly Taiwanese and have no desire to be part of Communist China. <\/p>\n
The two sides have been ruled by separate governments since 1949, after the end of the Chinese civil war. The communists took power in Beijing and founded the People\u2019s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, while the defeated nationalists fled to Taiwan, moving the seat of the Republic of China from the mainland to Taipei. <\/p>\n
Successive Chinese leaders have vowed to one day take control of Taiwan, but Xi, China\u2019s most assertive leader in decades, has ramped up rhetoric and aggression against the democratic island \u2013 fueling tension across the strait and raising concerns for a military confrontation. <\/p>\n
\u201cTaiwan is China\u2019s sacred territory. Blood is thicker than water, and people on both sides of the strait are connected by blood,\u201d Xi told the banquet attended by more than 3,000 people, including officials, retired party leaders and foreign dignitaries. <\/p>\n
He also called for deeper economic and cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and promotion of \u201cspiritual harmony of compatriots on both sides.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201c(We must) resolutely oppose \u2018Taiwan independence\u2019 separatist activities,\u201d Xi said. <\/p>\n
Beijing has labeled Taiwan\u2019s President Lai Ching-te a \u201cdangerous separatist,\u201d and tensions have ratcheted up since Lai\u2019s inauguration in May, during which he called on China to cease its intimidation of Taiwan. <\/p>\n
Taiwan officials say Beijing has intensified military activities around the island in recent months, including drills in May that the Chinese military said were designed to test its ability to \u201cseize power\u201d over the island. <\/p>\n
On Sunday, Taiwan\u2019s Defense Ministry said it was on alert after detecting \u201cmultiple waves\u201d of missile firing deep in inland China. <\/p>\n
The missiles were fired by the Chinese People\u2019s Liberation Army\u2019s Rocket Force in the inland regions of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang, the ministry said in a statement, adding that Taiwan\u2019s air defense forces have \u201cmaintained a high level of vigilance and strengthened their alert.\u201d <\/p>\n
It comes just days after China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean for the first time in 44 years, in a rare public test that analysts said was meant to send a message to the United States and its allies amid heightened regional tensions. <\/p>\n
The issue of Taiwan has become a major point of contention between China and the US, which maintains close but informal relations with Taipei and is bound by law to supply the island with weapons to defend itself. <\/p>\n
On Sunday, US President Joe Biden approved an additional $567 million in military support for Taiwan in the largest aid package America has granted the island. The funding will cover defense articles as well as \u201cmilitary education and training,\u201d the White House said in a statement. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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