Analysis | Xi Jinping reaffirms Beijing’s opposition to ‘Taiwan separatist forces’

President Xi Jinping made his first public comments on Friday regarding cross-strait relations since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May, underscoring Beijing’s firm opposition towards independence for the island.

“We firmly oppose the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” Xi, the Communist Party’s general secretary, said at the ceremony to mark the party’s 95th anniversary.

“The more than 1.3 billion Chinese people and the whole country will not tolerate secessionist activities by any person, at any time and in any form.”

Beijing expresses dissatisfaction after Taiwan’s new President Tsai Ing-wen swaps ‘consensus’ for ‘historic fact’

Xi also stressed that peaceful development of cross-strait relations could only be ensured if they were founded on the “1992 consensus”, a reference that analysts said was another attempt by Beijing to push Tsai and her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party to recognise the deal.

The consensus refers to an understanding reached in 1992 by representatives of the two sides in Hong Kong. It states that both sides agree there is only “one China” but that each have their own interpretation of what that stands for.

Beijing has also said it opposes any suggestion of China and Taiwan as two separate sovereign entities.

Tsai was sworn as the self-ruled island’s new president on May 20.