'No one can stop' unification with Taiwan: Xi

BEIJING, Dec 31, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - China's President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that "no one can stop" unification with Taiwan, as he addressed the nation in a New Year's speech.

Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory, and has said it will not renounce the use of force to bring it under its control.

China has intensified pressure on the democratic island in recent years, and has staged three rounds of major military drills since President Lai Ching-te came to power in May.

The last of these earlier this month were the largest in years according to Taiwanese officials, although Beijing has not officially confirmed the manoeuvres.

"Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.

No one can sever our blood ties, and no one can stop the historical trend of the reunification of the motherland," Xi said in a speech broadcast on state media.