Xi Calls Unification Inevitable as Taiwan Reports 29-Aircraft Patrol
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the “complete reunification of the motherland must be realized,” pledging to pursue it peacefully and making no mention of force, Reuters reported. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said the wording was “not much different from the past.”
The same day, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it detected 29 Chinese military aircraft from 9:38 am, 22 of which crossed the median line or its extension, operating with warships in what it called a so-called “joint combat readiness patrol.” It said it monitored the activity and responded with aircraft, ships and coastal missile systems.
Asked about the G7 foreign ministers’ declaration on waters east of Taiwan, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the statement “disregards facts” and “grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs.” That is Beijing’s position.
The exchanges come about a week before the APEC summit in Shenzhen and roughly two weeks before Taiwan’s local elections.