Xi Jinping visits province bordering Taiwan, Beijing affirms striving for peaceful unification
Oct 17, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], October 17: Xinhua News Agency reported on October 16 that Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected Fujian province, located opposite Taiwan.
During his two-day inspection tour on October 15-16, Mr. Tap said Fujian needs to continue to make greater progress in accelerating the development of a modern economic system.
Stressing the need to play a pioneering role in comprehensive reform and opening up at a higher standard, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Fujian to upgrade its free trade zone development, deepen its participation in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and build the province into a core area of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road."
Xi urged Fujian Province to develop culture and tourism into pillar industries. Stressing the importance of promoting cross-strait cultural exchanges, he called for enhancing the sense of Chinese national identity and culture among Taiwanese compatriots. The Chinese leader also called for all-out efforts in economic work in the fourth quarter of 2024 to strive to achieve annual economic and social development goals.
On October 16, speaking at a press conference, Mr. Chen Bin-hua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese government, affirmed that Taiwan being a part of China has never changed and will never change, according to Xinhua News Agency.
"Any actions or statements that challenge the One China principle and seek to split the country are doomed to fail," Chen Bin-hua said, asserting that actions aimed at undermining Taiwan's national identity and aggravating cross-strait tensions will not receive public support.
According to Reuters, Mr. Chen Bin-hua declared that China is willing to strive for peaceful unification with sincerity and the utmost effort, but will not give up the possibility of using force. He emphasized that force is only aimed at "foreign forces and separatist forces", not the vast majority of Taiwanese people.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
