In a speech marking the New Year, Xi Jinping, the President of China, reinforced the notion that no force can halt China's efforts towards reunification with Taiwan, delivering a pointed warning to advocates of Taiwanese independence. Over the previous year, China has escalated its military maneuvers close to Taiwan, regularly dispatching aircraft and naval vessels in the vicinity, which Taiwanese leaders interpret as a strategy to normalize China's military posture in the area.

China considers Taiwan, which operates as a self-governing democracy, as part of its national territory. Conversely, the Taiwanese government firmly denies this assertion, claiming that only its citizens have the authority to determine their own future and calling on Beijing to show respect for their choices and decisions. In his televised address, Xi emphasized the idea that the people across the Taiwan Strait are connected and part of a single family, suggesting that the ties between them are unbreakable and that reunification is a matter of time.

Throughout the previous year, tensions in the Taiwan Strait surged, particularly following the inauguration of Lai Ching-te, who is viewed as a separatist by Beijing, as the president of Taiwan in May. In December, China conducted significant naval drills around Taiwan after Lai's visit to Hawaii and Guam, which drew criticism from Beijing. China, which has not dismissed the possibility of using military action to assert control over Taiwan, held a series of military exercises around the island this year, framing them as warnings against any separatist tendencies.

The relationship between the U.S. and China has been further strained by ongoing arms sales to Taiwan, permitted under the Taiwan Relations Act. In response to these military links, China has consistently cautioned the U.S., imposing sanctions on military suppliers and their leaders as a form of pushback.