Chinese President Xi Jinping urges Taiwan to follow Hong Kong model for unification
- Xi calls on Taipei to start work on adopting ‘one country, two systems’ to bring island back into the China fold
- Message comes a day after Taiwanese leader says self-ruled Taiwan will not cede ground on sovereignty
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Beijing and Taipei to start talks on unification and adoption of “one country, two systems” in Taiwan, laying out steps to settle the 70-year-old divisions between the two sides.
In a speech on Wednesday to mark the 40th anniversary of a call from Beijing to end military confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, Xi said unification was key to “national rejuvenation”.
“The political division across the strait … cannot be passed on from generation to generation,” he said, apparently signalling his determination to end the separation between the self-ruled island and mainland China.
“The problem of Taiwan existed because the Chinese nation was weak and in chaos, but it will end along with national rejuvenation.”
Xi said Taiwanese independence should not be tolerated and representatives from both sides should “start in-depth democratic consultations for a cross-strait relationship and the future of the Chinese nation, and reach transitional arrangements for the peaceful development of cross-strait ties”.
He said China would not abandon the use of force for unification, but stressed that the military would only target external elements and those seeking independence for Taiwan.