Beijing cadres told to ‘resolutely curb external interference’ in Taiwan amid ‘uncertainty’

Name: Shinzo Abe, Japan’s ex-leader says Tokyo and Washington will stand by Taiwan, angering Beijing
Uploaded: 2022-01-26T13:04:20.000Z
Duration: 2 min 13 s
Description: Shinzo Abe, Japan’s ex-leader says Tokyo and Washington will stand by Taiwan, angering Beijing

Wang Yang tells officials at conference to understand ‘the time and trend of the complete reunification of the motherland is always on our side’

He says Fujian, the closest mainland province to Taiwan, will be supported to explore cross-strait integrated development with the island

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The remarks by the Communist Party’s No 4 official come as tensions are rising across the Taiwan Strait. Illustration: Reuters

Amber Wang

Published: 9:04pm, 26 Jan 2022

Beijing officials have been told a key task for the year will be curbing “external interference” in Taiwan amid a more unpredictable situation across the strait.

Wang Yang, who is ranked No 4 in the Communist Party hierarchy, said there was growing “uncertainty and instability” in the Taiwan Strait as the world went through changes not seen in a century, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior Beijing official Wang Yang speaks at the conference on Taiwan affairs on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Speaking at an annual conference on Taiwan affairs in Beijing on Tuesday, Wang said provocation by Taiwan’s independence-leaning forces and “interference by external forces” should be “resolutely curbed”.

It comes amid worsening tensions across the strait, with the self-ruled island reporting new large-scale Chinese air force sorties into its air defence zone this week and as the US and its allies intensify their support for Taiwan, angering Beijing.

However, unlike at last year’s meeting Wang did not explicitly refer to the one-China principle and “promoting the process of reunification” – Beijing’s goal of taking back what it considers a wayward province, by force if necessary.

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Shinzo Abe, Japan’s ex-leader says Tokyo and Washington will stand by Taiwan, angering Beijing

While claiming progress was made in Taiwan affairs last year, Wang asked officials to thoroughly implement the “party’s overall strategy for resolving the Taiwan issue in the new era” – a guiding policy included in a historical resolution adopted by the party last year.

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