Taiwan reacts to Xi’s speech, says it will not back down on its sovereignty

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Taipei, Oct 16, 2022: As Xi Jinping announced China’s mission to unify Taiwan with the mainland under its "one country, two systems" ideology at the 20th Communist Party of China Congress, Taiwan said it will not back down on its sovereignty or compromise on freedom and democracy. Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region is the common responsibility of both sides and meeting on the battlefield is not an option, Taiwan’s presidential office said in the statement as quoted by Reuters.

Xi Jinping, on Sunday, in his speech spanning over an hour, said that China "will not renounce the use of force" to unify Taiwan with the mainland. He also vowed to advance the modernisation of the country’s military to world-class standards to protect national sovereignty, security and developmental interests.

However, the Congress is expected to endorse Xi’s continuation as he has already been declared a "core leader" of the party on par with its founder Mao Zedong. Xi’s continuation in power will formally end the over three-decade practice of its top leaders retiring after completing two-five-year tenures.In a show of unity, almost all retired former leaders of the party -- including Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao, former president Jiang Zemin and former premier Wen Jiabao along with a host of former leaders -- attended Sunday’s opening ceremony at the ornate Great Hall of the People and were seen cheering key aspects of his speech spanning one hour 45 minutes.