No one can stop China's "reunification" with Taiwan. This was stated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his New Year's speech, reports "Reuters".
He issued a clear warning to independence supporters inside and outside the island of 23 million people.
Beijing has increased its military pressure near Taiwan over the past year, sending warships and aircraft almost daily into the waters and airspace around the island. Taiwanese officials see this as a creeping effort to "normalize" China's military presence.
China considers democratically-ruled Taiwan its territory. Taipei, however, rejects Beijing's claims and insists that only the people of the island can decide their future and Beijing must respect the choice of the Taiwanese people.
"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can break our family ties and no one can stop the historic trend of national reunification," Xi said in his New Year's speech last year.
In his New Year's speech last year, he said that the "reunification" of China with Taiwan was inevitable and that people on both sides "should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".
Tensions have remained high throughout the year in the sensitive Taiwan Strait, especially after Lai Ching-te, considered a "separatist" from Beijing, was elected president of the island in May.
Earlier this month, China concentrated naval forces around Taiwan and in the East and South China Seas after Lai stopped in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during a Pacific tour criticized by Beijing.
China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, has held two rounds of military exercises around the island this year, explaining that they were a warning against "separatist actions" and vowing to take further action if necessary.
In addition, US arms sales to Taiwan, authorized by the Taiwan Relations Act, continue to strain Beijing's relations with Washington.
China has regularly warned the US against any military ties with Taiwan and has imposed sanctions on military suppliers and their managers.