XI’S FURY
‘No one can stop me’: Despot Xi’s chilling New Year threat as he warns Chinese unification with Taiwan is ‘INEVITABLE’
The Chinese leader also addressed President Vladimir Putin in his New Year's message
IN his New Year's address, China's President Xi Jinping issued a brutal warning to Taiwan as the nation continues its war games against the self-ruled province.
President Xi is ringing in the New Year with talks of world peace and by piling on praise for his "best friend" Vladimir Putin.
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But, his standout message was a warning that no one can stop China's "reunification" with Taiwan.
Bringing the self-goverened province back in line with mainland China has been a goal of Xi's for a long time and recent military activity has shown that China is ready to take it back by force.
China has previously called the independence of Taiwan a futile effort and that annexation by Beijin is a "historical inevitability."
The President said: "The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.
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"No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification."
Tensions in the region has been high espeically after the election of the island's latest president William Lai Ching-te in May who has been labelled a "separatist" by Beijing.
Xi Jinping's military has increased its miiltary activity in the area over the past few years as a show of force.
This included encircling Taiwan's skies and waters in October - holding joint drills with its warships and fighter jets on a near-daily basis near the island.
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An aircraft carrier was emblazoned with a message warning Taiwan and separatist supporters: "We are prepared for battle."
Meanwhile, key ports were sealed off by China as the island's leaders continue to refuse to acknowledge Taiwan as part of China.
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China's Eastern Theatre Command said that the war games "serve as a stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces."
It further added that they were "a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity."
Taiwan blasted such moves as "irrational and provocative."
In return it dispatched "appropriate forces" by scrambling fighter jets armed with missiles.
Before this round of war games, China once again raised tensions in May when it filled the skies over Taiwan with dozens of warplanes.
The drills continued for more than 24 hours with 27 warships and 62 warplanes blockading the island.
Why does China want to invade Taiwan?
TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control.
The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called "first island chain", which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington's foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China's enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan's economy is another factor in China's desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world's electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation.
If tensions rise to military confrontation, Taiwan's military would be dwarfed by Chinese forces which China being the second largest spender on defense after the US.
Taiwan fears a "surprise attack" from China is inevitable and has been preparing for war for years with Xi having vowed for years to take back the island by force "if necessary."
A chilling message was sent to Taiwan’s government in May saying they were heading towards "a perilous situation of war and danger".
China's defence chief Dong Jun said: "The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has always been an indestructible and powerful force in defence of the unification of the motherland.
"It will act resolutely and forcefully at all times to curb the independence of Taiwan and to ensure that it never succeeds in its attempts.
“Whoever dares to split Taiwan from China will be crushed to pieces and suffer his own destruction."
Despite such tensions, Xi declared on New Year's Eve that he would promote "world peace."
"No matter how the international situation changes, China will remain steadfast in further comprehensively deepening reform … and promoting world peace and development," he said.
He addressed Putin in the speech praising the Russian leader for being his "best friend" and a "reliable partner.";
Xi told Putin: “In the face of rapidly evolving changes not seen in a century and the turbulent international situation, China and Russia have consistently moved forward hand-in-hand along the correct path of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party."
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This year marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia which marked "a new important milestone in the relationship between the two countries," Xi said.
With Putin's continued conflict in Ukraine and the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, global politics in 2025 are as unpredictable as ever.
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