Analysts noted that it is not just words for Xi but he is actually mooting a systematic action plan to unify Taiwan into the mainland….reports Asian Lite News
Taiwan’s unification agenda is the number one priority for Chinese President Xi Jinping and he is bent on realizing this vision, media reports said quoting analysts as saying.
Analysts noted that it is not just words for Xi but he is actually mooting a systematic action plan to unify Taiwan into the mainland. “He does not regard it as just a slogan. It is an action plan that must be implemented,” said Chang Wu-ueh, an adviser to Taiwan’s government, reported Washington Post in an article written by columnist Ishaan Tharoor.
“Before, leaders talked about unification as something to be achieved in the long run. Now, it’s number one on the agenda,” he added.
Moreover, the article also talks about the retirement age in the Chinese Communist Party saying that it solely depends on whether the party official is a loyalist to Chinese President Xi Jinping or not. Across the machinery of the Communist Party, Xi has installed loyal lieutenants in positions of influence.
Post article citing Wall Street Journal said, “all but seven of the 281 members of the Communist Party’s provincial-level Standing Committees” are Xi appointees.
“It’s not about age anymore,” Yang Zhang, a sociologist at American University’s School of International Service, told China correspondent for The Washington Post, Christian Shepherd. The sociologist was referring to the unofficial retirement ages that circumscribed the careers of ambitious party officials. “It’s about whether you are on Xi’s side,” Zhang added.
China’s global image has been tarnished by Xi’s assertive nationalism and Beijing’s perceived bullying on the world stage. Xi has spent the past decade cracking down on potential rivals through the pretext of mass anti-corruption purges, while further restricting the already tiny space afforded to Chinese civil society, reported Washington Post.
Another interesting point put forth in the article was about the reality behind China’s economic prowess under Xi Jinping. Busting the myth, a senior analyst highlighted that general economic approach adopted by Xi’s predecessors is the main reason for China’s growth.
“China’s growth during Xi’s decade in power is attributable mainly to the general economic approach adopted by his predecessors, which focused on rapid expansion through investment, manufacturing, and trade,” said Neil Thomas, a senior analyst for China and Northeast Asia at Eurasia Group, to CNN, reported Post.
“But this model had reached a point of significantly diminishing returns and was increasing economic inequality, financial debt, and environmental damage,” Thomas said.
‘Will never renounce use of force’
During his opening speech Sunday morning at the start of the Party Congress, Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to speed up efforts to build the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a “world-class military”, local media reported.
To achieve that, the Chinese military should uphold the party’s “absolute leadership”, modernise its theory, organisation, personnel and weapons, Xi was quoted as saying by the CNN.
He pledged to improve the PLA’s ability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to “effectively fulfill the mission of the people’s army in the new era.”
To do this, the military must build a strong system of strategic deterrence, increase the proportion of combat forces in new areas and deepen military training for real combat, he said.
Xi also raised the possibility of confrontation when discussing democratic Taiwan — which the Communist Party claims as its territory, despite never having controlled the self-governing island, CNN reported.
“We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest of sincerity and the upmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” Xi said.
Xi gave a stern warning on Taiwan during his speech on Sunday, saying China would achieve reunification with the self-governing island by force if necessary.
He added that his words were “directed solely at interference by outside forces and a few separatists seeking Taiwan independence”.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it.
Xi’s remarks on Taiwan drew the greatest level of applause through his speech, which ran just short of two hours, CNN reported. (ANI/IANS)
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