100 Years Of Chinese Communist Party, President Xi Threatens Foreign Intervention And Taiwan Reunification

Presiden China Xi Jinping. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Chinese President Xi Jinping has praised the "new world" created by his country's people, while warning foreigners who try to disrupt the country will be "beheaded", while celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

In an hour-long televised address from Tiananmen Square, President Xi pledged to build up China's military, committed to Taiwan's "reunification" and stressed the autonomy held by Hong Kong and Macau.

"The Chinese people are not only good at destroying the old world, they have also created a new world. Only socialism can save China," President Xi Jinping said as quoted by Reuters on Thursday, July 1.

The popularity of President Xi and his party is on the rise, as China recovers rapidly from the COVID-19 outbreak and takes a tougher stance on the global stage.

But Beijing has faced external criticism for its crackdown on Hong Kong, its treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, and a deteriorating demographic outlook that jeopardizes long-term economic growth.

Illustration of 100 years of the Chinese Communist Party. (Wikimedia Commons/Huangdan2060)

President Xi stressed that the Chinese people will never allow foreign powers to bully, oppress or subdue them.

"Anyone who dares to try to do so will have his head smacked with blood against the steel Great Wall forged by more than 1.4 billion Chinese people," Xi said to loud applause from spectators in Beijing's central square.

Thursday's celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party kicked off with fighter jets and helicopter flights, witnessed by state leaders from the southern stronghold of the Forbidden City.

In the speech, President Xi also said that China had achieved its one-hundred-year goal of building a sufficiently prosperous society. In addition, he also said that China would build a world-class military to maintain sovereignty, security and development.

"We must accelerate the modernization of our national defense and armed forces," said President Xi, chairman of the Central Military Commission which controls the Bamboo Curtain country's armed forces.

Chinese military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidential Press and Information Office)

President Xi also underlined that no one should underestimate the determination of the Chinese people to defend its sovereignty and territory. It refers to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

"All sons and daughters of China, including their compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, must work together and move forward in solidarity, resolutely destroying the plot of 'Taiwan independence'," he said.

"We will remain true to the letter and spirit of the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle, whereby the Hong Kong people manage Hong Kong, and the Macau people manage Macau, both with a high degree of autonomy," Xi said while ensuring social stability in both regions. protect China's security, sovereignty and development interests.

To note, came to power in 1949 under the leadership of Mao Zedong initially recruited farmers and workers. In 2020, the party experienced its largest membership surge since Xi took office, with 2.43 million people, bringing the party to 95.15 million members, according to data released Wednesday, June 30.