Chinese president Xi Jinping’s assertion that Taiwan’sreunification with mainland China is ‘inevitable’ and his warning against anyeffort to promote the island’s independence are signs that he still covets theprosperous and pro-capitalist neighbouring territory that once formed part ofthe mainland. His warning that it would not renounce the option of usingmilitary force to bring Taiwan into its fold is a reiteration that the US andits allies need to keep off what China regards as its own territory. Xi wasspeaking at an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of a message sent toTaiwan in 1979 in which it called for reunification and an end to militaryconfrontation. Xi described reunification under a ‘one country, two systems’approach that would safeguard the interests and well-being of Taiwanesecompatriots.
Last year, under President Trump’s term of office, the UShad sent multiple ships through the Taiwan Straits which China considers itsterritory but the US and its allies see as international waters open to all.This had caused a lot of heartburn in Beijing. On the eve of New Year, the UShad also declared that it would step up its presence in the Indo-Pacific andhad hinted at using India as a counterpoise to China in the region. Evidently,Xi and Trump are gearing up for confrontation over Taiwan in which the US seesa role for India. Washington also remains Taipei’s most powerful unofficialally and its main arms supplier. The new Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, hasrefused to accept Beijing’s stance that the island is part of ‘one-China’. Hewarned recently that the Taiwanese people would never give up the kind offreedom they enjoy being out of authoritarian China. All this has set the stagefor a confrontation if China does not relent.
