Wang Zaixi, former deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office under China’s State Council, recently published an article in the state media People’s Political Consultative Conference Newspaper. Wang said, “It may be difficult to achieve the purpose of reunification across the strait if we do not use military force and rely solely on political negotiations, non-governmental exchanges, and unconditionally making compromises.”

Regarding the reason why China should pursue military means, the former senior official said that it is because the situation in Taiwan has undergone fundamental changes and that the possibility of peaceful reunification is diminishing. In his view, the “Taiwan independence” forces have already taken a strong hold in Taiwan and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which advocates “Taiwan independence, has taken the stage and fully grasped power in Taiwan. The Kuomintang (KMT), which opposes “Taiwan independence,” has lost its ability to check and balance the issue.

Wang also proposed the “Peking Mode,” a third option in his view. The so-called “Peking Mode” is also a warfare choice, where the reunification is achieved through using military force as a threat and winning the war without a battle. “This mode can minimize casualties and reduce costs.” “The Peking Mode” got its name from the Battle of Pingjin during the Chinese civil war between 1948 and 1949, when the Chinese Communist’s military surrounded the city of Peking (today’s Beijing) and forced the 250,000 KMT troops to surrender.

When Xi Jinping, head of Chinese Communist Party, inspected the navy a few days ago, he said, “We must put all our minds and energy on preparing for a war and maintain a high level of alertness.” This remark was regarded as a threat to the DPP government. Wang Zaixi declared that mainland China now basically has the strength and conditions to resolve the Taiwan issue.

In December 2019, Wang also made a comment on when and how to “solve the Taiwan issue.” He said, “If the KMT had won the election, cross-strait relations would ease, but reunification will take more time. If the DPP continues to govern, the cross-strait relations will intensify, but it may accelerate the reunification process.”

Source: Radio France International, November 9, 2020
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/中国/20201109-中国国台办前副主任王在希-不动用武力两岸恐难实现统一

On November 4, the Chinese legislature — the National People’s Congress —announced the draft of the Maritime Police Law. This draft stipulates the tasks and rights of the Chinese coast guard when carrying out surveillance activities in the waters surrounding China. It stipulates that the China Coast Guard has the authority to remove or interrogate forcibly those who are on foreign ships illegally entering China’s territorial waters.

The draft further states that if a foreign vessel conducts illegal activities in the waters under China’s jurisdiction and does not obey the order, the coast guard can use weapons to enforce the law. Regarding the maritime police’s law enforcement area, in addition to China’s territorial waters, the draft also includes the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.

Chinese Coast Guard ships have repeatedly invaded Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa County, where China claimed sovereignty, and have even followed Japanese fishing boats.

China has included the Coast Guard in the Armed Police Force, which is under the jurisdiction of the Chinese military. With the introduction of large ships, the coast guard may further strengthen its maritime activities in the future. The outside world is worried that after the Maritime Police Law is enacted, the Chinese coast guard ships will affect Japanese fishing boats operating in the waters around the Senkaku Islands.

Source: NHK Chinese, November 4, 2020
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/zh/news/265528/