Xi stresses party purity, Taiwan reunification as historic task

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday stressed the importance of maintaining the ruling Communist Party's purity and declared the "complete reunification" of Taiwan a historic mission during the party's 105th anniversary.

Speaking at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi cautioned against internal threats to the party, following years of anti-corruption campaigns that have targeted high-ranking civilian and military officials. He urged the party to uphold its capacity for "self-revolution," eliminate factors that damage its purity, and "cleanse all viruses" that erode its healthy organism.

The call for internal discipline comes after several rounds of purges affecting officials in the People's Liberation Army, current ministers, and members of the CPC Central Committee. Xi stated that "a strong country needs a strong military" and that national security depends on a robust military, emphasizing the need to maintain the party's absolute leadership over the PLA and advance its modernization.

Xi reiterated that "resolving the Taiwan question" and achieving China's "complete reunification" is a historic task for the CPC. He called for deepening exchanges and integration across the Taiwan Strait and vowed to firmly combat "separatist forces" advocating for Taiwan's independence and "external interference," a veiled reference to the United States. Taiwan, self-governed since 1949, is a major point of tension between Beijing and Washington, with China claiming sovereignty over the island and not ruling out the use of force.

Xi also presented the CPC as the guiding force behind China's progress since the revolution and the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, leading to the current era of economic modernization and political consolidation under his leadership. He asserted that the Chinese people have "firmly taken their destiny into their own hands" and that China has followed its own development path. "The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable," Xi declared, noting that China has achieved in decades an industrialization process that took developed countries centuries.

The anniversary follows the party's 100th anniversary five years ago and the 20th Party Congress in 2022, where Xi secured an unprecedented third term as general secretary. At that congress, Xi proclaimed the achievement of building a "moderately prosperous" society and warned that China would not bow to external pressure.