Marking China's national day, Xi calls for progress towards reunification with Taiwan

Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech comes days after he told US President Donald Trump that Washington should oppose the island's independence.

Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds as he delivers a speech at the National Day reception on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Sep 30, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Florence Lo/Pool)

Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping called for advancing efforts towards "reunification" with Taiwan, the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own, in a speech on Wednesday (Sep 30) on the eve of China's national day.

Xi rejected "external interference" over Taiwan in his address ahead of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, days after he told US President Donald Trump that Washington should oppose the island's independence .

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to take it.

"We must deepen cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, resolutely crack down on 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, oppose interference from external forces, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and advance the great cause of national reunification," Xi said.

Copyright for this text belongs to CNA.