In his New Year's address on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping made it clear that China's "reunification" with Taiwan is unstoppable, sending a firm message to those Beijing considers pro-independence forces both on and off the island. Over the past year, Beijing has intensified its military activities near Taiwan, with daily deployments of warships and aircraft into the surrounding waters and airspace, a move that Taiwanese authorities see as part of an ongoing effort to normalize China's military presence in the region.

China views Taiwan, a democratic island of 23 million people, as part of its territory, while Taiwan's government firmly rejects this claim, stating that only the Taiwanese people have the right to determine their own future and that Beijing should respect their decision.

"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can break these bonds, and no one can halt the historical march toward national reunification," Xi declared in a speech broadcast by China's state television network, CCTV.

In last year’s New Year's speech, Xi also declared that Taiwan’s "reunification" with China was inevitable, emphasizing that people on both sides of the strait should share a unified purpose in the revival of the Chinese nation.

Tensions have remained high throughout the year, particularly following the election of Lai Ching-te as Taiwan's new president in May. Beijing has labeled Lai a "separatist." In December, after Lai’s visit to Hawaii and Guam, both U.S. territories, China conducted large-scale naval exercises around Taiwan, citing the trip as a provocation.

China, which has never ruled out the use of force to assert control over Taiwan, held two rounds of military drills around the island this year, warning against "separatist actions" and pledging to take further measures if necessary.

Meanwhile, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, as permitted by the Taiwan Relations Act, have strained relations between Beijing and Washington. China has repeatedly cautioned the U.S. against any military involvement with Taiwan and has imposed sanctions on military suppliers and their executives.