China’s foreign minister told the UN General Assembly on Saturday that only when China is “completely reunified” can there be “enduring peace” across the Taiwan Strait. Speaking at the annual debate, Wang Yi said, “Any scheme to interfere in China’s internal affairs is bound to meet the strong opposition of all Chinese, and any move to obstruct China’s reunification is bound to be crushed by the wheels of history.”

Tensions have risen between Beijing and Washington in recent months, as several US Congressional delegations have visited Taiwan. A visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August prompted an angry Beijing to fire at least 11 ballistic missiles into the waters around Taiwan in a live-fire military exercise a day after she left the island. Pelosi was the highest-profile US official to go to the island in 25 years, and China viewed her trip as an unacceptable challenge to its claims over Taiwan.

Wang added that to realize the goal of peaceful reunification, Beijing must preempt separatist activities. He said, "To realize this goal, we must combat Taiwan independence separatist activities with the firmest resolve and take the most forceful steps to oppose external interference. Since ancient times, Taiwan has been an inseparable part of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity". Wang also reaffirmed the “One China” principle, saying it has become a norm in international relations.

Russia’s war in Ukraine

China is Moscow’s closest ally but has started to express some concern about Russia’s war in Ukraine. Speaking on the matter, Wang said, “We call on all parties concerned to keep the crisis from spilling over and protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries”. He said that Beijing supports efforts to peacefully resolve the crisis and its top priority is dialogue. He added, “The fundamental solution is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture”.

Speaking of other issues, Wang said that China stands firmly against the attempts to politicize human rights; opposes bullying by countries, as well as “group politics and bloc confrontation”.