Amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a former Taiwanese president who supports unification that the countries “belong” together.
“Differences in systems cannot change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to the same country and nation,” Xi said.
“External interference cannot stop the historical trend of reunion of the country and family,” Xi said, in comments reported by Taiwanese media and published by Reuters.
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Beijing claims the independent island of Taiwan is a Chinese province and has threatened to use force to achieve unification. China frequently sends warplanes and naval vessels to circle the small island democracy and has been mounting an increasing number of military drills over recent years.
He doesn’t care about Taiwan as being part of China. He cares about those lovely tech companies with TMSC as the crown jewel. China wants to be the new world order and need chips to get that done. Taiwan being reunited with the mainland is only to fuel the nationalists to beg Xi to do it.
Never underestimate the attraction of national pride to a nationalist. Taiwan would stick in his craw even if it wasn’t home to some of the most important industries in the modern world.