Chinese State Media Says 'Necessary to Eliminate' Taiwan's Independence

Chinese state media said in an article Friday it is "necessary to eliminate" Taiwan's independence as rhetoric surrounding Taiwan has escalated in recent days.

The China Daily wrote that "the reunification of the two sides across the Taiwan Straits is more than the reunification of the mainland and the island."

"It is about Taiwan residents identifying with the Chinese nation and Chinese culture," the piece said.

"Based on over 20 years of governing experience in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions after their return to the motherland, the complete national reunification requires social and cultural integration of the two sides of the Straits.

"Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate the political, cultural and material foundations of "Taiwan independence" and establish a legal system that reflects the central government's authority, so as to make national reunification permanent."

In an address earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would "never promise to renounce the use of force" against Taiwan, though he said it would "continue to strive for peaceful reunification."

While Taiwan has maintained a separate government from China since 1949, China claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory.

After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, tensions in the Taiwan Strait have increased. This year, China broke its record for its annual number of flights around Taiwan. In August alone, Chinese aircraft flew into the Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone on 446 occasions, according to Taiwanese Defense Ministry statistics.

Responding to Xi's speech in which he suggested China could invade Taiwan, Chen Ming-tong, who heads Taiwan's National Security Bureau, said China has "no chance of winning an armed attack on Taiwan."

"It will only bring international sanctions against them and diplomatic isolation," he said.

Chen added that if China invaded Taiwan, it "would ruin their so-called great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. They would become a sinner of the Chinese nation."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that he hopes "Beijing will come back to a place where it actually sees the merits in making sure that differences are peacefully resolved, that it doesn't try to force things through coercion, and, even worse, through force."

Newsweek reached out to the Taiwan Foreign Ministry, the U.S. State Department and experts in Chinese politics for comment.