At the National People's Congress in March, China appeared to be toughening its stance on Taiwan by removing a key adjective from its official language regarding the island.
Premier Li Qiang in a government report delivered at the opening of the congress emphasized only "unification," dropping the mention of "peaceful" used in the previous year. While such changes have occurred before and may not be unprecedented, it signals a potentially more aggressive approach to Taiwan.
By "peaceful unification," China means that Taiwan would willingly accept and adopt the Chinese political system. However, it is unlikely that the people of Taiwan, who currently enjoy a democratic system, would agree to this. They are also aware of the ongoing situations in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, which makes the prospect of accepting Chinese rule even less appealing. Therefore, what China refers to as "unification" would likely involve the use of military force against Taiwan.
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