Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to confront pro-independence forces in Taiwan, but has avoided directly alluding to the possible use of military force to achieve this purpose, as he has done on previous occasions.
In a speech before the National People’s Congress of China on the occasion of the start of his third term as head of the country, the president stressed the importance of »modernizing» the army to turn it into a »great wall of steel».
»We must push forward the modernization of defense and the Armed Forces and build an Army that effectively guarantees national sovereignty and protects our interests,» he said, although Congress itself has recently approved a 7.2 percent increase in defense spending, a larger increase than expected.
He also addressed the government’s plans to achieve the »unification of Taiwan», but was cautious about it and avoided repeating previous statements on the use of force, an issue that has raised controversy both on the island and internationally.
»We must put in place strategic measures to resolve this issue in the new era, so that Taiwan adheres to the ‘one China’ principle and the peaceful development of cross-strait relations is promoted,» he said, before stressing the importance of firmly rejecting any interference in internal affairs, as well as the pro-independence activities of Taiwanese forces.
The authorities of the Asian giant continue to consider Taiwan as another province under its sovereignty. Following the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the international community has expressed its concern about the possibility of China carrying out similar measures against Taiwan.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
