March 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to confront the independence forces in Taiwan, but has avoided directly alluding to the possible use of military force to achieve this purpose, as he has done on previous occasions.
In a speech before the National People’s Congress of China on the occasion of the start of his third term as head of the country, the president stressed the importance of “modernizing” the Army to turn it into a “great wall of steel.”
“We must promote the modernization of defense and the Armed Forces and build an Army that effectively guarantees national sovereignty and protects our interests,” he said, although Congress itself has recently approved a 7.2 percent increase in spending in terms of Defense, a higher than expected increase.
Likewise, he has addressed the government’s plans to achieve the “unification of Taiwan”, but has shown caution in this regard and has avoided repeating previous statements on the use of force, an issue that has raised controversy both on the island and abroad. international level.
“We must implement strategic measures to resolve this issue in the new era, so that Taiwan adheres to the ‘one China’ principle and promotes the peaceful development of cross-strait relations,” he clarified before highlighting the importance of forcefully rejecting any interference in internal affairs, as well as the independence activities of Taiwanese forces.
The authorities of the Asian giant continue to consider Taiwan as one more province under its sovereignty. Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the international community has expressed concern about the possibility of China carrying out similar measures against Taiwan.
