Xi Threatens Taiwan In Speech

Chinese Premier Xi Jinping said in a Lunar New Year speech that he would work to integrate Taiwan into the People’s Republic of China. The statement came as the island nation reported a series of Chinese spy balloons flying nearby.

Xi said during the speech that Beijing had “actively supported the better integration of Hong Kong and Macau into the overall development of the country.” Despite agreements with the British government regarding the handover of the former colony, China has imposed an authoritarian government there.

Xi then said that his government “strongly opposed separatist acts of Taiwan independence and interference by foreign forces, and resolutely defended the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests.”

The Chinese leader said separately that he resented “separatist” forces in Taiwan who argue that the island country should be independent. An anti-China candidate won Taiwan’s presidential election earlier this year.

Under the thumb of dictator Xi Jinping, communist China has taken steps toward seizing control of the Pacific and even taking over Taiwan. Both actions would plunge the world into an economic depression. https://t.co/GiMSXbo73M

— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) February 7, 2024

Taiwan recently reported eight balloons believed to be launched from China near its territory. It follows a series of reported spy balloons that flew over the island earlier this year. China has also engaged in flights testing Taiwanese air defenses.

Despite the decades-long rivalry between the two states that claim to be the legitimate government of China, Xi’s statement appeared to go further than recent statements.

Beijing has been critical of a number of moves from Washington and Taipei. Since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the United States has moved to send significant military aid to Taiwan. Taipei has also worked to purchase a number of defense systems in case of possible war with China.

A potential conflict between China and Taiwan could have serious implications for the United States. Washington considers Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, a crucial ally. Since the end of the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s, Washington has vowed to defend the island against encroaching communism.

Furthermore, Taiwan is one of the key producers of computer microchips. A shortage of chips during the pandemic affected a number of industries, including new automobiles.