Xi uses New Year's speech to call anew for reunification with Taiwan, set stage for Trump 2.0 era

Chinese President Xi Jinping used a New Year's Eve address to call anew for Taiwan to be reunited with his communist country, setting the stage for a tougher era of U.S. diplomatic relations as Donald Trump prepares to return to office.

"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family," Xi said Tuesday, hitting the theme for a second straight holiday address broadcast on the state-controlled CCTV. "No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification."

Beijing has ramped up military activity around Taiwan, including large-scale exercises shortly before Christmas. Those menacing operations included Chinese aircraft entering the island nation’s air defense identification zone shortly beore Xi spoke on Tuesday.

In October, Xi told the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party that he preferred a peaceful reunification with Taiwan but added that China "will never promise to give up the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures."

Taiwan's new president responded Wednesday to Xi' address, saying his island wishes to have peaceful relations with China but questioning why Beijing has blocked tourism between the two.

“Is this really showing goodwill towards Taiwan? Can’t they treat everyone equally?” President President Lai Ching-te told reporters.

“But I still want to stress this: Taiwan hopes to have healthy and orderly exchanges with China under the principles of reciprocity and dignity,” Lai added.

As Trump prepares to return to office, Taiwan dispatched two senior members of it National Security Council to meet with his team in the United States.

The president-elect has urged Taiwan to spend more on its defense security in the face of Chinese provocation.