TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Director Song Tao of China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) called on Taiwan's people in a New Year's message on Tuesday (Jan. 2) to keep the bigger picture in mind. He urged them to help "return cross-strait relations to the correct track of peaceful development and promote the advance of the motherland's peaceful unification process."
This latest mention of "motherland unification" follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's emphasis in his New Year's address that the reunification of the motherland is "historically inevitable."
Statements from Xi and Song at the outset of 2024, though routine, garnered attention due to the forthcoming presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, making any Taiwan-related content within their remarks noteworthy.
Xinhua News Agency reported that Song's New Year's message, titled "Keep the Direction, Forge Ahead," was published in the first 2024 issue of the "Cross-Strait Relations" magazine. In it, he claimed strides were made by mainland China in 2023 to establish its commanding position and initiative in cross-strait affairs.
"China will eventually and necessarily unify. This is the inevitable requirement of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the new era. It is an absolute depiction of the current cross-strait relationship development trend, and it is the common aspiration and mission of compatriots on both sides of the strait," Song argued.
As the Taiwan election approaches, cross-strait issues have become a focus for voters. The bold declarations from China could potentially sway Taiwanese voters' perceptions of the cross-strait situation and choices at the polls.