China's National People's Congress began its most prominent annual parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, kicking off a week of sessions that provide an opportunity for the outside world to gain insight on Beijing's policy direction for the upcoming year.

On Taiwan, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told the rubber-stamp legislature that Beijing would be "firm in advancing the cause of China reunification" as part of the "overall strategy" of the Chinese Communist Party (CPP) to "resolve the Taiwan issue in the new era."

Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan to be Chinese territory, and President Xi Jinping has made "reuniting" the democratic island with mainland China a long-running centerpiece of his strategic policy.

However, Premier Li's report this year came without the word "peaceful" before reunification, which had been included in language used in previous years.

The ostensibly more hawkish tone comes as China's military continues to conduct regular air and naval maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait, including a large-scale exercise in April 2023 that completely encircled the island that came after President Tsai Ing-wen met with high-level US........

© Deutsche Welle