![Xi Jinping mulling Taiwan invasion; warned of repercussions by Chinese diplomat](https://myquest.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/William-Lai-Ching-te.jpg)
Xi Jinping mulling Taiwan invasion; warned of repercussions by Chinese diplomat
Beijing asserts Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out using force to reunify it.
China’s leading diplomat cautioned that moves towards Taiwan’s independence would face severe consequences, following the island’s election of pro-sovereignty candidate William Lai Ching-te as president. Despite China’s opposition and labeling of Lai as a dangerous separatist, Taiwanese voters defied such warnings, securing a decisive victory for him.
Beijing asserts Taiwan as part of its territory and has not disavowed the use of force to assert control. Regarding William Lai’s win, China stated that it would not alter the “inevitable trend of China’s reunification.”
“If anyone on the island of Taiwan thinks of going for independence, they will be trying to split apart China’s territory, and will certainly be harshly punished by both history and the law,” Wang Yi said, adding, “This is a dead end. No matter what the results of the election are, they cannot change the basic fact that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it.”
“Taiwan has never been a country. It wasn’t in the past, and it certainly won’t be in the future,” Wang Yi said asserted.
He cautioned that “seriously threatens the well-being of Taiwan compatriots, seriously harms the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and seriously jeopardises peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region”.