The Chinese president says the course of history “cannot be stopped” while Taiwan rejects “one country, two systems”.
Published on November 12, 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the course of history cannot be stopped, while calling for peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan.
Resolving the Taiwan question is an “unwavering historic mission” of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
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“The course of history cannot be stopped,” Xi added.
“Complete reunification of the homeland must be achieved, and it will certainly be achieved. »
China considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory, despite Taipei’s strong rejection of this assertion, and has repeatedly proposed a “one country, two systems” model of autonomy that is not supported by any major Taiwanese political party.
Xi’s comments came in a speech marking the 160th birthday of revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen, who helped lead a 1911 revolt that ended centuries of rule by emperors and empresses and ushered in the Republic of China.
The Taiwanese government rejected these comments.
Its Mainland Affairs Council said neither the government nor the people of Taiwan could accept “one country, two systems,” which would ultimately mean submitting to the power of the Communist Party.
“As for the formulation of Taiwan unification, it is not much different from the past,” Council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh told reporters.
“One country, two systems”
Xi said China adheres to “peaceful reunification and the ‘one country, two systems’ policy” and is willing to talk with Taiwan while respecting the “one China principle,” or Beijing’s position that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait form one country.
All Chinese people, including those in Taiwan, should unite to jointly oppose Taiwan independence “separatist” forces and work for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, Xi added.
Although Xi did not mention the use of force, which China has never renounced for Taiwan, the Chinese military operates daily around the island and extends its reach further into the Pacific.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it detected 29 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets and drones, carrying out a “joint combat readiness patrol” around Taiwan in conjunction with Chinese warships, starting Thursday.
Xi’s speech comes a week before the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China’s southern tech hub, where he is scheduled to meet again with U.S. President Donald Trump, and also just over two weeks before important local elections in Taiwan.
The Chinese president made a state visit to Washington in September, during which he asked Trump to exercise “caution” toward Taiwan and urged the United States to oppose the island’s independence.
Washington had already suspended a $14 billion arms purchase by Taiwan in May, with Trump calling it a “very good negotiating tool” in relations with China, raising fears that Taiwan’s security could be sacrificed.
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