Chinese Journalist Hu Xijin: Although Taiwan Tensions Are At All-Time High, War Is Not Inevitable – Taiwan's Authorities Will Eventually Back Down; China Is Defending Its Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity

Hu Xijin, the Editor-in-Chief of the state-owned Chinese newspaper The Global Times, said in a video that was uploaded to The Global Times Youtube channel on October 12, 2021 that although tensions between China and the United States around the issue of Taiwan are at an all-time high, the inevitability of war is an illusion. He explained that Taiwanese authorities will eventually back down, because they will be unwilling to fight unification with China to the end, and because unification between China and Taiwan will not affect the way of life of Taiwanese people. He also said that China has no reason to retreat because it is defending its national sovereignty and its territorial integrity. For more about Hu Xijin, see MEMRI TV Clips No. 8504, No. 8510, No. 8522, No. 8546, and No. 9058.

Hu Xijin: "According to Taiwan media, Taiwan’s army commander Hsu Yen-pu is visiting Washington. This is the latest provocation by the US and Taiwan island against the Chinese mainland. The situation across the Taiwan Straits has entered an unprecedented period of high risk.

"There is no 1992 Consensus between the two sides of the Straits, most of the strategic coordination between China and the US has been lost, and all involved are preparing for the worst. Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott recently wrote an article titled 'My message to Taiwan: Get ready to fight.'

"On the surface, there is no sign of anyone backing down. The DPP authorities proclaimed that they would 'defend the free and democratic lifestyle of 23 million people in Taiwan.' The US would defend its democratic allies and support the confidence of its global allies. The Chinese mainland has no reason to retreat:

"What we are defending is national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It seems that a war is inevitable, but I want to say that this is an illusion. I believe that in the end, the Taiwan authorities will back down. Cross-Straits reunification will not deprive the people of Taiwan of their current way of life, because it will be the reunification of ‘one country, two systems.’ The people of Taiwan will not follow the DPP and 'fight to the end.'"