Xi Jinping moving ahead with Taiwan unification agenda

Want China Times, Tseng Fu-sheng 2015-07-17

Xi Jinping visits the meeting room where the Communist Party's landmark Zunyi
Conference was held in early 1935 on an inspection tour to Guiyang, Guizhou
province, June 18. (File photo/Xinhua)

Several measures Beijing has recently introduced, including the amended National Security Act, indicate that President Xi Jinping has moved ahead with his Taiwan unification agenda through means of both legislation and economic integration.

The amended Act Xi signed into law on July 1 stipulates Taiwanese people have an obligation to maintain China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Beijing has also recently waived the entry permit requirement for Taiwanese planning to travel to China, while establishing a pilot free trade zone in Fujian province and encouraging young Taiwanese to start businesses there.

Fearing that Taiwan could bemoving further away from China, Xi decided to establish a further legal framework for Beijing's efforts to achieve its goal of unification and introduce measures to bring the two sides of the Taiwan Strait closer in order to wield greater influence over Taiwan's politics and economy.

The status quo is being re-evaluated given that opposition Democratic Progressive Party leader Tsai Ing-wen is the frontrunner in Taiwan's 2016 presidential race and the Kuomintang administration of Ma Ying-jeou, constrained by public opinion, has become less helpful in the push for unification.

Beijing is resorting to new measures to promote integration amid concerns about increasing opposition to the idea of ultimate unification and a stronger sense of Taiwanese identity especially among the younger generation.

Xi is implementing his national security strategy in four phases, introducing reforms and establishing a command system during the first phase in the five years between 2013 and 2017.

The goal during the second phase before the Communist Party of China celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2020 is to modernize the government, raise public income levels and assume a role in shaping regional and global security.

Under Xi's plan, China is set to become more proactive in efforts to ensure global security and make a positive contribution, with a target of achieving cross-strait unification before the People's Republic of China marks the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2049.

The ultimate goal in Xi's strategy is to establish China as a developed country by 2050, a leader in building order in the region and a key player in maintaining global security. As Xi considers the Taiwan issue as part of China's national security, Taiwan should not overlook the significance of Beijing's recent moves to push for greater integration.

(Tseng Fu-sheng is an adviser to Taiwan's National Policy Foundation. Translated by Want China Times.)

The flags of China, left, and the Republic of China.

(File photo/Ko Cheng-hui)

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