Beijings military has held large-scale drills as a warning to the islands separatist forces and their Western backers

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has repeatedly stated that reunification with Taiwan is "inevitable," reiterated the notion in his address to the nation on New Year's Eve, touting an unbreakable "bond of blood and kinship."

Taiwan has been ruled by Chinese nationalist forces as the Republic of China ever since they retreated to the island after their defeat in the civil war in 1949.

Beijing considers the island part of its sovereign territory under the One China policy.

"We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship. The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable!," Xi said on Wednesday, as cited by Xinhua.

The Chinese leader also noted that Beijing would "support Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating into the overall development of our country and maintaining long-term prosperity and stability."

Beijing has repeatedly emphasized a preference for peaceful reunification, but has not ruled out the use of force should the island's "separatist forces" seek formal independence.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted two days of military drills around Taiwan this week, simulating a blockade of key ports, precision strikes on maritime targets, and scenarios to counter external interference.

The drills commenced just 11 days after Washington announced an $11.1 billion arms sales package to Taiwan - the largest ever for the island.

Both China and Taiwan maintain a One-China policy and claim to be the rightful rulers of China. However, only a handful of countries maintain official diplomatic relations with Taipei, while most endorse Beijing.

Since October 1971, the UN has recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations."

While the US government stated in 1979 that it "recognizes the Government of the [PRC] as the sole legal Government of China," it continues to maintain close ties with Taipei, which include visits by top lawmakers, and has repeatedly been reproached by Beijing.

Russia's support for China with respect to Taiwan is enshrined in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, which was signed between Moscow and Beijing in July 2001, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recalled in a recent interview, stressing that one of its basic principles is "mutual support in defending national unity and territorial integrity."

Lavrov said Taiwan is currently being used as a tool of "military-strategic deterrence" against Beijing, with some Western countries keen to profit from Taiwanese money and technology.

(RT.com)