The speech was light on inflammatory rhetoric and heavy on paeans to the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ model.
The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/02
By: mNick Aspinwall
Credit: Reuters / TPG
Xi Jinping reiterated warnings that Taiwan independence was a “dead end” in a speech delivered on Wednesday, Jan. 2, but struck a conciliatory tone in the wake of regional elections which saw the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lose power across the country.
The Chinese President called for “peaceful reunification” between China and Taiwan – which is claimed by the governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) although that government has never ruled over Taiwan – saying Taiwan “must and will be” reunited with China.
While Xi reiterated the possibility of using force to unify Taiwan and China, he stuck to far softer rhetoric than his March 2018 speech in which he said any attempts to “split” China would be “punished by history.”
Instead, Xi leaned heavily on references to the “One Country, Two Systems” model under which Hong Kong and Macau have transitioned to purportedly autonomous regions under Chinese rule, saying its principles have historically been implemented to “accommodate Taiwan’s reality and safeguard the interests and benefits of Taiwan compatriots.” [FULL STORY]
