Xi Jinping vows Taiwan reunification will happen, makes no mention of force

Beijing speech marks Sun Yat-sen anniversary

Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday, 12 November 2026, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, marking the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth. Sun helped lead the 1911 revolt that ended centuries of imperial rule and paved the way for the Republic of China. Xi used the occasion to describe the Taiwan question as an unwavering historical mission of the Chinese Communist Party. He called the party the most faithful heir to Sun's legacy and urged the country to keep modernising under centralised party leadership. The speech was delivered in Beijing, where Sun is presented as a unifier who opposed any division of the country.

“The tide of history cannot be stopped. The complete reunification of the motherland must be realised, and it will certainly be realised.”

Conditions for talks

Xi said China adheres to peaceful reunification and to the 'one country, two systems' formula. He said Beijing is ready to hold talks with Taiwan on the basis of the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and that it would take the realities of Taiwan and the interests and feelings of its people fully into account. He described people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait as a family united by blood and said that no conflict or disagreement is insurmountable. Xi also urged all Chinese, including those in Taiwan, to join forces against separatist forces that back Taiwan's independence. Europa Press reported that he vowed China would never allow room for separatist activity aimed at Taiwan independence.

Force and the military picture

Xi made no mention of force, although Beijing has never ruled it out for Taiwan. Chinese forces keep a daily presence around the island and are pushing their activity further into the Pacific Ocean. Beijing's offer of peaceful reunification is set against that backdrop, and the 'one country, two systems' model is not backed by any mainstream Taiwanese political party. Taipei firmly rejects Beijing's claim to the island, and Taiwan's government had not immediately replied to a request for comment when the speech was reported.

Sun Yat-sen and Taipei's warning

In October 2026, Taipei urged its citizens to avoid events China holds for the Sun anniversary, saying Beijing has a distorted view of Sun and his legacy. Beijing regards Sun as a national hero and patriot and as the forerunner of the 1949 communist revolution. That revolution pushed the defeated Republic of China government onto Taiwan, where it is still based. Xi said Sun was a firm defender of national unity who opposed any attempt to divide the country.

Calendar ahead

The speech comes a week before the APEC summit in Shenzhen, a tech hub in southern China, where Xi is due to meet US President Donald Trump again. Taiwan's important local elections fall a little more than two weeks after the speech. The proposed talks rest on the one-China principle, a premise Taipei rejects. Xi's remarks put Beijing's position on record ahead of that meeting with Trump.