Election focus

A number of factors may affect the situation across the Taiwan Straits, including the island's leadership election early next year. Policies on cross-Straits relations and ties with the US are likely to be typical focuses of the campaign.

Cross-Straits tension could also be triggered this year by a potential visit to Taiwan by McCarthy, the new US House Speaker. In July, the Republican House leader said he would visit the island if he was elected as Speaker.

Outlining the cross-Straits situation for the coming year, Tang Yonghong, deputy director of the Taiwan Research Center at Xiamen University, said the contradiction between unification and "independence" on the two sides of the Straits still exists, as well as that between China and the US.

These contradictions might further intensify this year as the US strengthens the strategic containment and suppression of China's development, and competition in Taiwan's leadership election hots up, he said.

Tang said the separatist forces represented by the DPP in Taiwan are certain to promote the concepts of "independence", "sovereignty "and "resisting the mainland" during the election campaign.

Political parties in the US are also likely to continue playing the "Taiwan card" to gain support at home and also obtain interests from Taiwan, he said.

Following Pelosi's visit, the US and Taiwan will continue to collude with each other, and this will include plotting a visit to the island by McCarthy, he added.

To end such provocation, Tang said the mainland will need to take all necessary measures, even at the risk of using force, to resolutely fight separatism and outside interference.

Bao said that faced with such a complex and volatile situation across the Straits, "the mainland will firmly maintain strategic dominance and use all possible means to prevent the situation from getting out of control."

He said that to implement the CPC's overall strategy for solving the Taiwan question in the New Era, which was mapped out at the Party's 20th National Congress in October, the mainland will further advance the process of peaceful reunification between the two sides.

It will also unite with compatriots in Taiwan in opposing secession, and is prepared to smash any attempts at independence made by separatist forces on the island, he said.