Of omissions, accidental or otherwise: Parsing the Premier’s references to China’s Taiwan policy

BEIJING - Jaws dropped at the opening of China’s Parliament in 2022, when Premier Li Keqiang

left out the word “peaceful”

when referencing China’s goal of eventual reunification with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.

Speculation swirled among China watchers then, over whether Beijing had abandoned its policy of “peaceful reunification” and would resort to a military invasion. The policy was introduced in 1979 as a condition for Washington’s switching of diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing under a “one China” policy.