Chinese President Xi Jinping today defined reunification with Taiwan as a “historic inevitability” in an end-of-year speech in which he highlighted the country’s successes in 2023.
The Chinese leader reiterated that reunification with Taiwan, an island whose sovereignty Beijing claims, is a “historic inevitability”, after a year in which there was an increase in tensions in the Taiwan Strait and a few days before the presidential elections. in the island territory.
Xi Jinping also emphasized the need to “maintain long-term prosperity and stability” and “better integration into the grand national development plan” of the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
“The control of the pandemic has stabilized,” Xi recalled in his only reference to the end of the ‘zero Covid’ policy at the beginning of this year, after almost three years of strict restrictions in that Asian country.
In his speech, broadcast on television, the President assured that “the Chinese economy continued to recover and improve” in 2023 and pointed to an “overflowing dynamism of development” in the country, giving as an example the strength of sales of manufactured mobile phones. national and the progress of the world’s second largest economy in the manufacture of electric vehicles.
Among the year’s highlights, Xi mentioned the first commercial flight of the Chinese-made C919 aircraft and the Shenzhou space missions, which transported astronauts to China’s Tiangong space station.
On the other hand, the leader of the Asian giant referred to “people who face difficulties in employment and in life” and to the areas of the country that have suffered natural disasters this year, such as floods or earthquakes, and assured “to keep that in mind.” mind”.
At the international level, Xi noted that “there are still places in the world at war” and that the Chinese people “are very aware of the value of peace,” which is why he assured that his country is “willing to work with the international community to promote the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity”.
After a year in which he recovered his diplomatic activity, after two and a half years of isolation due to the ‘zero covid’ policy, and in which he met with leaders from countries such as the United States, France, the European Union, Spain, Colombia or Brazil, Xi Jinping assured that “China is not only developing, but embraces the world and assumes the responsibility of a great power.”
The Chinese leader recalled that next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and called for “deepening reform and opening up in all aspects”, increasing “confidence in development” and strengthening “economic vitality.” ” next year.
Source: TSF
