Chinese leader Xi Jinping kicked off a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress Sunday by reiterating that China will never renounce the use of force in resolving “the Taiwan question,” while also warning that his country must be prepared for "strong winds and high waves and even dangerous storms.”
"Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, a matter that must be resolved by the Chinese," Xi told the gathering of around 2,300 delegates from across the country inside Beijing’s massive Great Hall of the People.
In a speech that lasted just over 100 minutes — far shorter than his nearly 3½ hour address at the 2017 congress — Xi said China would “continue to strive for peaceful reunification,” but added that it “will never promise to renounce the use of force” and reserved “the option of taking all measures necessary.”
“This is directed solely at interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking 'Taiwan independence' and their separatist activities; it is by no means targeted at our Taiwan compatriots," he added in an implicit jab at China’s top rival, the United States.
"The historical wheels of national reunification and national rejuvenation are rolling forward. Reunification of the motherland must be achieved and will be achieved." Xi said, prompting a thunderous round of applause.
The self-ruled island is seen as China’s most important “core issue,” and the ruling Communist Party has said there is “no room for compromise or concession.”
Under Xi, 69, China has taken a much more aggressive stance on Taiwan and a raft of other issues, and Sunday’s speech was seen as not only lauding the Communist Party’s recent achievements, but also laying out plans for the country’s future development. Xi is also expected to secure an unprecedented third five-year term in office during the weeklong congress, solidifying his place as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
In charting his country’s path forward, Xi warned of “drastic changes in the international landscape,” but hinted that China would maintain a “firm strategic resolve” and show “a fighting spirit,” an approach that he claimed has “safeguarded China's dignity and core interests and kept ourselves well-positioned for pursuing development and ensuring security.”
That stance has put Xi’s China on a collision course with the U.S. and its allies, most recently over self-ruled Taiwan after a visit to the island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August.
Following Pelosi’s visit, China conducted large-scale military drills surrounding Taiwan that included for the first time the launch of ballistic missiles over the island and into waters near Japan’s far-flung Nansei island chain, according to Tokyo.
Washington has maintained a “One China” policy since 1979, officially recognizing Beijing rather than Taipei but taking the stance that Taiwan's status is unsettled. Meanwhile, the Taiwan Relations Act requires the U.S. to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Acrimony over the issue between the United States and China hit a fever pitch last month, when U.S. President Joe Biden repeated his assertion that American forces would defend democratic Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. Such a move would break with the U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” — under which the U.S. expresses a strong interest in Taiwan’s security while avoiding an outright promise to defend it. The White House later poured cold water on this, however, saying U.S. policy had not changed.
Fears of a conflict erupting over Taiwan have rattled regional capitals, including Tokyo, where a growing number of lawmakers increasingly view any Taiwan contingency as an emergency for Japan as well, considering its proximity to the island and the number of U.S. bases in the country.
Still, despite these fears, experts said Xi’s remarks Sunday were largely identical to past speeches.
“Xi’s comments on Taiwan were predictable and in line with the same typical rhetorical talking points we are used to hearing from him,” Lev Nachman, an assistant professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei, wrote on Twitter. “Nothing new today, pleasantly anticlimactic.”
Indeed, even beyond Taiwan, Xi’s speech offered little new as he doubled down on a number of key party policies, including in the economic realm, reiterating that “high-quality development” remains “the top priority of building a socialist modern country.”
On his country’s controversial “COVID zero” policy, Xi signaled that the push would continue despite a growing domestic backlash.
"In responding to the sudden attack of COVID-19, we put the people and their lives above all else and tenaciously pursued a dynamic COVID zero policy,” Xi said. “We have protected the people's health and safety to the greatest extent possible and made tremendously encouraging achievements in both epidemic response and economic and social development.”
Xi’s speech also highlighted the country’s environmental policies under his leadership, signaling that he could continue to hitch parts of his legacy to ambitious goals such as reaching net-zero emissions by 2060.
"We will work actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality,” he said. “Based on China’s energy and resource endowments, we will advance initiatives to reach peak carbon emissions in a well-planned and phased way, in line with the principle of getting the new before discarding the old.”
Scott Kennedy, a China expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in the U.S., wrote on Twitter that the main takeaway from Xi's speech was clear: “Unapologetic continuity.”
Kennedy, however, noted that Xi's comments on COVID zero and Taiwan did give him space to maneuver. “Ambiguity on Covid leaves room for change & no new language on Taiwan means no short deadline,” he wrote. “But (the) speech won't reassure industry, U.S., & the West.”
The son of a Communist Party revolutionary, Xi has expanded the party’s presence across all aspects of life in China since coming to power in 2012, with him officially sitting at its "core."
In 2018, he scrapped presidential term limits, clearing the way for the possibility that he may serve for life.
Beyond his expected reconfirmation as party general-secretary, the country’s most powerful post, as well as chairman of the Central Military Commission, the effective head of the military, Xi's presidency is up for renewal in March at an annual session of China's parliament.
The day after the congress concludes on Saturday, Xi is also expected to introduce his new Politburo Standing Committee, a seven-person leadership team — though this number is not set in stone. It will include the person who will replace Premier Li Keqiang when he steps down from that post in March after serving the maximum two terms.
Information from Bloomberg and Reuters added
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