China's Xi calls for 'peaceful' reunification with Taiwan

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By HUIZHONG WU

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Saturday that a “peaceful” reunification of Taiwan with China’s mainland was in Beijing’s interests, despite ratcheted up military threats against the self-governing island.

Xi spoke at an official celebration in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People that focused largely on the need for the ruling Communist Party to continue to lead China as the country rises in power and influence.

“Reunification of the nation must be realized, and will definitely be realized,” Xi vowed before an audience of politicians, military personnel and others gathered in the hulking chamber that serves as the seat of China’s ceremonial legislature.

“Reunification through a peaceful manner is the most in line with the overall interest of the Chinese nation, including Taiwan compatriots,” the leader added.



Chinese President Xi Jinping looks as he arrives at an event commemorating the 110th anniversary of Xinhai Revolution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Xi said on Saturday reunification with Taiwan must happen and will happen peacefully, despite a ratcheting-up of China's threats to attack the island. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/xi-jinping-taipei-beijing-taiwan-china-61f510599558249f9afa839052c4000a

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Bernardo de La Paz calls for China & Xi to fully embrace democracy and freedom of

expression.

Not until then should reunification be considered.

Look at the "peaceful" reunification with Hong Kong by means of iron fist.

"Ceremonial legislature" is the correct term, as applied in the excerpt.

[onetexan]

34. Embrace democracy & lose his lifetime presidency? I doubt it

[Bernardo de La Paz]

41. I'm calling for it, not expecting it. . . .nt

[Tetrachloride]

2. Talking points

1. Taiwan people are not compatriots.
2. China doesn’t want peace.
3. Xi has never been to Taiwan and never will.
4. About 76 years since the split.

[wyn borkins]

3. A Peaceful Reunification Of Taiwan With China's Mainland Was In Beijing's Interests

Xi: “Reunification of the nation must - and will definitely be realized”.

Mi(e): Seems he intimated: Overwhelming Force - and that Right Soon!

[CanonRay]

4. They did such a nice job crushing Hong Kong democracy

[orangecrush]

10. This.

And they did so even though it was entirely unnecessary and brought them nothing but trouble.

[sarcasmo]

18. Japan is nervous too, and converting two ships into air craft carriers.

https://news.yahoo.com/japan-converting-2-biggest-warships-141405304.html

[AllaN01Bear]

39. same as in nepal.

[dalton99a]

5. "We desire peace perhaps more than all others." - Hitler, May 1933

January 1935: "No country can feel the need for peace more profoundly than Germany."

May 1935: "Our love of peace is perhaps greater than that of the other nations."

January 1936: "There is not a single German who desires war."

March 1936: "My aim is Peace, Peace founded on an equality of rights amongst the peoples."

September 1936: "The German people has no other wish than to live in peace and friendship."

June 1937: "The German in his whole character is not only peaceable and peace-loving."

...

January 1939: "[W]e have always only one wish, that in the coming year, too, we may succeed in contributing to the general pacification of the world."

April 1939: "... the Czech people will have more freedom than the down-trodden peoples of the virtuous nations! I have thus, I believe, done a great service to the cause of peace."

etc. etc.

[llashram]

13. nail on the head

there are WMD's in Iraq... 2003, just as a sidelight. Not in context, I know.

[LudwigPastorius]

31. "Colleagues. In people's hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an inseparable part of Russia."

"This firm conviction is based on truth and justice and was passed from generation to generation, over time, under any circumstances, despite all the dramatic changes our country went through during the entire 20th Century." - Putin 2014

[lonely bird]

6. No wonder Donnie the Dotard like Xi

He longed to be like Xi.

[BeyondGeography]

40. Which is why the "we must defend democracy" in Taiwan arguments here are a joke

When one of our major parties is in thrall to a wannabe authoritarian and said party’s mission is to undermine democracy at every turn, our would-be freedom fighters are standing on a very rickety set of legs to put it mildly. Don’t think that Xi (and the world at large) hasn’t noticed.

[yaesu]

7. though it will never happen I'm glad the word peaceful was used. Now, if Taiwan had a corporate run

political system allowed to be twisted by corporate media they probably would see demonstrations to unite with China but think God they aren't as corrupt as the US.

[oldsoftie]

21. The majority of Taiwanese citizens do not consider themselves Chinese.

You wont see many demonstrations to "reunite" because most citizens do not want to be taken over by the communists

[yaesu]

33. but the majority of Americans hate fascism yet fascism thrives here, the power of money & unfettered

capitalism at work. So it doesn't matter what the majority thinks, is all about the system and whether its corrupt or not.

[oldsoftie]

47. The point is that most people & their govt dont want China.

The only way the small minority that WOULD ever get their way is if China takes over. The US & others have sworn to protect them from that disaster.
We'll see how far china wants to push their nonsense

[orangecrush]

8. Say WHAT?

[christx30]

42. I mean, he's kind of right in that

taking the island without military conflict is in china’s best interests. One nation forcing another nation to capitulate under threat of force, but not force itself, is always in the best interest of the conqueror. It won’t be good for Taiwan either way. But all Xi cares about is his lifetime presidency and his power. The desires of the citizens are a slightly interesting, but irrelevant factor in the matter.

[orangecrush]

49. Straight out of Sun Tzu

Victory without fighting.

Unfortunately, they proved in Hong Kong what to really expect.

[Roy Rolling]

9. Mainland China

Let the wealthy rulers over the mainland stop enriching themselves through communism and become a democracy.

Then, the free people of mainland China can reunify with the free people of Taiwan, not the other way around.

[orangecrush]

11. And then

Maybe we can work on our wealthy rulers.

[GB_RN]

12. Taiwan Is Not Part Of China...

Yeah, people and governments may give lip service to “One China”, but Taiwan is effectively its own country and an invasion is the only way Xi Jin Pingpong and the Chinese Communist Party will ever change that. From what I can tell, the Taiwanese want nothing to do with Xi and his CCP dictatorship. Especially after he/they reneged on every agreement on Hong Kong’s democracy and self governance.

[roamer65]

14. Bingo on HK.

[Hekate]

51. China is convinced they are the center of the world. They refer to all descendants of emigrants...

… as “overseas Chinese,” and they mean it.

Whether a 3d-generation American or a Taiwanese feels that way is another matter. An American is secure within our borders — but a Taiwanese on Taiwan is not. Taiwan has maintained its independence from China all these decades by being a satellite of the US. It served the US to maintain this relationship throughout the Cold War, but the moment we turn away, they will be extinct.

China is very expansionist. Remember PNAC? The Project for a New American Century? The Neo-Cons were short-sighted in the extreme. The 21st Century is becoming the Chinese Century.

[marie999]

57. But the U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as a country.

[GB_RN]

58. No, But Biden Said Yesterday That...

The US will defend Taiwan if Xi and the CCP invade. CBS is not the only source for that story, either.

[marie999]

60. Which we should, but we need a strong Asian alliance including Taiwan similar to NATO.

[GB_RN]

61. That's Why We're Selling Nuclear Subs...

To Australia. The deal pissed off the French, who were selling the Aussies outdated, loud and detectable diesel models, which were over budget and behind on delivery too, IIRC.

We’ve been selling military equipment to Taiwan since forever and we have special forces advisors there training some of their troops, too.

[zanana1]

15. "Reunification" translates to "takeover".

[Hekate]

52. Yes it does

[sakabatou]

16. Taiwan saw what happened to Hong Kong

Taiwan is no fool.

[bronxiteforever]

46. +1 This.

[JohnnyRingo]

17. There's a thinly veiled threat

Like if I told my neighbor "I really hope we can resolve this fence issue without me punching you in the face".

[HUAJIAO]

19. That is exactly what it is

[LudwigPastorius]

32. "Be a shame if your little country got broke...wouldn'it?"

[HUAJIAO]

20. Xi is a psychopath, just like trump, except he has a functioning brain.

Wonder what happened to him as a child..??

[GB_RN]

23. May Not Have Been Anything From His Childhood...

It could be as simple as the old saying: Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

And this asshole pretty much has absolute power.

[HUAJIAO]

24. I would still posit that his, or anyone's, willingness TO BE corrupted

starts in childhood.. or perhaps also inherited. Although, I would think more the former.

[Polybius]

26. The entire Chinese government supports his position

Unification has been China's policy since the 40's. If he didn't say it, their next leader would.

[HUAJIAO]

27. Yup. They are all psychopaths.. care nothing for human beings.

Sort of like some we know of in the US of A.

[Polybius]

28. Yeah

It's how they were raised, you got that right. I'm pretty sure that they teach that in Chinese schools about Taiwan being theirs.

[HUAJIAO]

35. Yes, you are right. Of course it is taught in schools.

And June 4th never happened.

Interesting how too much of the same type of national lies are taught in US schools as well..

[oldsoftie]

22. In other words, "surrender". Prepare, Tawian

If attacked, inflict as much pain as possible. And hope the world comes to your aid

[Crowman2009]

25. I highly doubt the people of Taiwan want peace with those who drove their great-grandparents out.

of their homes.

[diverdownjt]

29. So why all the flyover's with airforce these past weeks?

He is saying that it will be peaceful only if you comply........force is imminent.

[ancianita]

38. There are flyovers in response to the intel that our military has special ops doing military

training on Taiwan.

Original scoop has a paywall...
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-troops-have-been-deployed-in-taiwan-for-at-least-a-year-11633614043

no paywall

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/575759-us-troops-secretly-training-forces-in-taiwan-for-past-year-report

U.S. forces have been secretly training Taiwan’s military forces in the country for at least a year amid concerns of Chinese aggression toward the self-ruled island, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Roughly two dozen members of U.S. special operations and support troops are training small units of Taiwanese ground forces, while a contingent of the U.S. Marines is helping local maritime forces with small-boat training, U.S. officials told the Journal.

[Steelrolled]

30. It is a China and Taiwan issue.

America needs to stay out of it - if there are problems we can support UN resolutions.

[HUAJIAO]

36. I must disagree in spirit, and probably in action as well.

The Chinese do NOT want a war with the US. They will push to see how far WE, and other countries, will go.

The UN on it's own is too cowardly to do anything.

[Hekate]

53. Agreed. Taiwan only exists in the 21st century because they were a US satellite in the 20th...

We defended them during the Cold War, and I think we owe them protection now. Beyond that, ceding them to China would be a bad mistake — for our own future.

[soryang]

45. Exactly

instead we are unnecessarily provoking China by increased military presence, shows of force, and public statements and diplomatic acts which in fact, contradict prior communiques by previous US presidents. It's the United States of Amnesia all over again.

American delusions about what terms they can dictate to China are delusional in the same sense as delusions about Korea and Vietnam before those wars in which millions died. It's up to Taiwan and China to work this out peacefully. All the macho tough talk is reminiscent of the racist gunboat diplomacy in the 19th and 20th Centuries that ultimately led to WW II. The US is habitually wrong about Asian issues.

[oldsoftie]

48. "UN resolutions"? What a joke

China has veto power over any resolution. And even if one passed, the UN is powerless to accomplish anything without the US.

[11 Bravo]

37. Sure thing, Xi. Because Taiwan is noticing how scrupulously China has adhered ...

to the promises they made regarding Hong Kong.

[Martin68]

43. Pardon me while roll around on the floor laughing. After an enormous show of force, involving 38

attack jets, this comes off as the joke of a Mafia don in regard to a weak competitor who tied to muscle in on his "territory."

[Ford_Prefect]

44. We've already had a taste of China's peaceful methodology in Hong Kong.

The only kind of peace China wants involves a choice of silence or the grave.

[Kid Berwyn]

50. A man of integrity. Not.

Xi silenced his opponents by accusing them of corruption. Meanwhile, his own family acquired billions as he made himself emperor for life. Censored NYT out of China for writing about it. Example of strong leadership for Dim Donnie Drumpf.

[Johnny2X2X]

54. Taiwan is worth going to war over

Taiwan has 63% of the world's semiconductor industry. If China took them over, they're basically taking the world economy over all at once. China would have absolute control over every industry in America that needs chips.

[GB_RN]

55. This Situation Undoubtedly Plays Into Why...

Intel is becoming a “foundry” and bringing chip/processor production back to the US.

[orangecrush]

56. Xi is the Chinese Trump

Fuck him, and the Chinese people better come up with a way of getting rid of this "president forever", unless they enjoy the idea of being incinerated en masse.

[GB_RN]

59. I'd Say He's Their Version Of Putin

He’s more intelligent and competent than tRump. Not really fair to Xi to say he’s the “Chinese Trump”, even as I agree with your dislike of both of them.

[orangecrush]

62. True.