The Chinese authorities will not give up on the reunification of the Chinese mainland with Taiwan by force under any circumstances, said Peng Qing'en, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
„We are ready to create broad opportunities for peaceful reunification and will pursue this goal with utmost sincerity and efforts. "However, we by no means promise to refrain from the use of force and reserve the right to take all necessary measures," he told a news conference, commenting on the language on Taiwan in a statement issued after the recent Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The statement said Beijing intended to facilitate the reunification of mainland China with Taiwan, but did not specify that it would be a peaceful process.
The official added that Beijing would continue to adhere to the "one country, two systems" principle in its dealings with Taipei. As he noted, the peaceful reunification process requires joint efforts from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
“We hope that our compatriots in Taiwan will join us in resolutely opposing the separatism of the so-called independence advocates as well as external interference, and unswervingly pursue the great cause of national reunification, jointly promoting the long-term prosperity of the Chinese nation and the glory of its great rejuvenation,“ Peng concluded.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) retreated to the island after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Since then, Taipei has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China, which existed on the mainland before the communists came to power. According to Beijing's official position, supported by most countries, including Russia, it is one of the regions of the PRC.