In a firm address marking the end of 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing's unwavering commitment to achieve reunification with Taiwan. His New Year's Eve speech, delivered on Wednesday, came directly after the People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted its most significant military exercises near the self-governing island in over a year, sharply escalating regional tensions.
'Unstoppable' Trend of Reunification
Speaking from Beijing, President Xi Jinping left no ambiguity about China's core objective. "The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable," he stated emphatically. This declaration reinforces China's long-standing position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory, a claim it backs with the stated willingness to use force if necessary to achieve integration.
Large-Scale Military Drills: 'Justice Mission 2025'
The political rhetoric was preceded by a formidable show of military strength. Just a day before Xi's speech, the PLA launched "Justice Mission 2025," its largest live-fire exercise in the Taiwan Strait region in more than twelve months. The extensive drills involved a coordinated display of force from the navy, air force, rocket force, and coastguard, effectively encircling Taiwan.
Reports indicate the exercises simulated a blockade of Taiwan's primary ports and featured the participation of at least 89 warplanes. Chinese state media explicitly connected these maneuvers to the recent U.S. approval of an $11 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, framing them as a necessary response to what Beijing views as foreign interference.
Diplomatic Showcase and Historical Assertions
Alongside the tough talk on Taiwan, President Xi's broadcast highlighted China's diplomatic engagements throughout 2025. He pointed to the Shanghai Cooperation Summit hosted in Tianjin, which saw the attendance of global leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The speech was visually punctuated with footage from China's historic military parade in September 2025, commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II. Notably, the parade showcased Xi alongside Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un, a grouping some analysts have termed an "axis of upheaval."
Xi also emphasized the newly established "Taiwan Retrocession Day," a memorial day in 2025 marking the end of Japanese colonial rule over the island in 1945. This move, coupled with Taiwan's own legislation making October 25 a national holiday, underscores the ongoing battle over historical narratives and sovereignty claims.
The combination of assertive rhetoric, massive military demonstrations, and the bolstering of historical claims signals a continued and intensified pressure campaign by Beijing on the Taiwan issue, ensuring it remains a critical flashpoint in Indo-Pacific geopolitics as the new year begins.
