Comrade Xi plays the dove while intimidating Taiwan 

There was belligerence. There was bluster. And there was blatant propaganda. In a keynote speech to celebrate Communist China’s 75th birthday, President Xi Jinping trotted out the usual lines, blurring fact with fiction. 

He told a state banquet in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People that “reunification” with the democratic island of Taiwan was “irreversible.” Even though most Taiwanese people prefer independence to incarceration by the Communist Party. 

“Complete reunification is the aspiration of all Chinese from home and abroad. It is an irresistible trend and a righteous cause reflecting the will of the people. No one can stop the wheel of history,” Xi said, as reported by state-run China Daily.

Line by line:

• Xi does not have a mandate from the citizens of Taiwan.
• He does not even have a mandate at home or from overseas Chinese.
• The Communist Party has never ruled the island, making “reunification” a myth.   
• In short, invading Taiwan would be an unprovoked act of aggression. 

We will always stand on the right side of history.

President Xi Jinping

Delve deeper: Xi’s obsession with the island and dominating the South and East China Seas have seen nearly daily live-fire drills or PLA Navy exercises. In turn, this has destabilized the region, creating a global flashpoint.

Big picture: Against this backdrop, Xi even had the nerve to “reaffirm” that his “foreign policy” was built around a red wall of “safeguarding world peace.” 

Between the lines: “We will always stand on the right side of history. [We will vigorously advocate] cooperation, and promote world peace and tranquility,” he said.

China Factor comment: Yet, Xi’s “peace” statement comes at a time when Beijing is using “coercive” tactics to break Taiwan’s political will. It is also bullying the Philippines in the South China Sea and invading Japanese airspace. Hardly peaceful pursuits.