In a New Year’s Eve address, President Xi Jinping praised China’s gains in AI, semiconductors, military technology and space, and pledged to accelerate technological self-reliance amid tighter U.S. export controls. He thanked citizens for five years of economic progress and said a new five-year plan will be discussed in March. Xi reiterated Beijing’s intent to reunify Taiwan as China staged two days of military drills near the island; Taipei condemned the exercises but pledged restraint.
Xi Hails China’s Tech Gains, Vows Reunification As Military Drills Encircle Taiwan
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks at the New Year gathering held by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Yan Yan/Xinhua via AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping used a New Year’s Eve address broadcast by state media to highlight China’s recent technological advances and to reiterate Beijing’s long-standing goal of reunifying Taiwan.
Xi pointed to progress in strategic sectors — including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, military technology and space exploration — while visuals accompanying the speech showed humanoid robots, hydropower projects and other technological achievements.
"We sought to energize high-quality development through innovation," Xi said, thanking the Chinese people for their contributions to economic growth over the past five years. China plans economic policy in five-year cycles and is preparing to discuss a new five-year plan at the legislature’s session in March.
Against the backdrop of tighter U.S. export controls on chips and other advanced technologies, Xi pledged to accelerate scientific and technological self-reliance. He also emphasized China’s rising international profile, citing the high-level events and diplomatic exchanges the country hosted last year.
Tensions Across The Taiwan Strait
On Taiwan — a self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its territory — Xi reiterated his reunification goal, saying:
"We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship. The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable."
This week China conducted two days of military drills around Taiwan, launching rockets and deploying aircraft and warships in what it described as a response to a planned U.S. arms sale to the island. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te condemned the exercises but said Taipei would act responsibly, avoiding escalation or deliberate provocation.
Observers note Xi’s address blended domestic messaging about economic strength and technological independence with a firm stance on sovereignty, reinforcing strategic tensions in the Taiwan Strait and signaling Beijing’s priorities to both domestic and international audiences.
