In China wordt gevierd dat de communistische partij in dat land honderd jaar geleden werd opgericht. En daar hoort een powerspeech bij.

President Xi besloot dat te doen met als hoofdonderwerp de herovering van Taiwan.

China’s President Xi Jinping issued a blistering “warning” to the West in a Thursday speech marking the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. The most provocative part of the roughly hour-long address given from Tiananmen Square focused on Taiwan and thwarting foreign forces’ efforts at “meddling” in China’s affairs and in the region (read: American and its allies).
The gray Mao suit clad Chinese leader said the nation is committed to the “reunification” of Taiwan and ensuring continued “stability” in Hong Kong, vowing that any outside “bullying” powers will inevitably “get their heads bashed”.

Hoe serieus dit te nemen? Met zaken als deze is niet de kwestie of het redelijkerwijs haalbaar is – de Amerikanen geloven dat niet, bijvoorbeeld – maar hoe de perceptie ervan binnen China wordt beschouwd.

Dat het was ingebed in een betoog over de groeiende (militaire) macht van China is geen goed signaal.

The ceremony was a huge affair complete with flyovers of warplanes which included J-20 stealth jets and helicopters carry large national flags. Among the address themes was an emphasis on the continued rapid modernization of the armed forces in order for the Chinese people to continue resisting being “enslaved” to foreign powers.

Dat het vervolg complete nonsens was, doet er dan al niet meer toe:

“The Chinese people have never bullied, oppressed or enslaved the people of other countries,“[1] Xi said. “It has never done so in the past, does not do so now and will never do so in the future. At the same time, the Chinese people will never allow any outside forces to bully, oppress or enslave us. Anyone who tries to do so will be crushed to death before the Great Wall of steel built with the flesh and blood of over 1.4 billion Chinese people,” Xi warned as a large crowd cheered.
Specifically invoking Taiwan and Hong Kong, Xi went on: “No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will and strong ability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to Nikkei. 

Brief description of main points of President Xi's speech today: 1.Congratulations 2. Great Achievements of the #CPC in 4 stages for rejuvenation 3.Respect, Greetings & Gratitude to all walks of life: Learn from history to create a bright future 4. Vows, expectations, and calls. pic.twitter.com/roZy43ZbRe

— WangWen_RDCY (@WangwenR) July 1, 2021

De verwijzingen naar de geschiedenis van de communistische partij waren historisch al niet veel beter.

And throughout were references to the history and rise of the CCP, coupled with claims of “eliminating absolute poverty”…

“I solemnly declare that through the continuous struggle of the party and our people, we have achieved the first 100th year goal of building a moderately prosperous society by eliminating absolute poverty.”

“The people of China are not only good at destroying the old world, they have also created a new world,” said Xi, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic. “Only socialism can save China.”

Eén ding is zeker: in Taiwan zal men hier niet blij van zijn geworden.

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1. De laatste keer was toen China in 1644 door de Mantsjoe werd veroverd. Dat was echter niet de eerste keer dat zoiets beurde.

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Meer over Taiwan vindt u hier. Zie ook ons dossier Zuid-Chinese Zee en Dossier Wereldpolitiek USA