Beijing ¨C China¡¯s ¡°reunification¡± with Taiwan is inevitable, leader Xi Jinping said in his New Year¡¯s address on Sunday, striking a stronger tone than he did last year with less than two weeks to go before the Chinese-claimed island elects a new leader.
The Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections are happening at a time of fraught relations between Beijing and Taipei. China has been ramping up military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over democratically governed Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan to be its ¡°sacred territory¡± and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Chinese control, though Xi made no mention of military threats in his speech carried on state television.
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