Xi urges peaceful Taiwan reunification, Taipei pushes back

BEIJING, Nov 12: The tide of history cannot be stopped, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, while urging peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan and making no mention of using force, though he still drew a firm rebuff from Taipei.

China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite Taipei's strong rejection of that claim, and has repeatedly offered a "one country, two systems" model of autonomy not supported by any major Taiwanese political party.

Resolving the Taiwan question is an "unwavering historical mission" of China's Communist Party, Xi said in a speech in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

"The tide of history cannot be stopped," Xi added. "The complete reunification of the motherland must be realised, and it will certainly be realised."

Taiwan's government dismissed the remarks.

Its Mainland Affairs Council said neither the government nor Taiwan's people could accept "one country, two systems," which would ultimately mean submitting to the Communist Party's authoritarian rule.

"As for the wording on Taiwan unification, it isn't much different from the past," council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh told reporters. �"REUTERS