TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) vowed to resolutely prevent anyone from "making Taiwan secede from China," with Taiwan's presidential elections a little over two weeks away.

During a symposium held at the Great Hall of the People to mark the 130th anniversary of Mao Zedong's (毛澤東) birth on Tuesday (Dec. 26), Xi delivered a speech commemorating the politician, according to China's state-run mouthpiece Xinhua. Xi called for the upholding of the "one country, two systems" policy in Hong Kong and Macau, while stressing the need for the central government to exercise "overall jurisdiction" over the territories.

Turning his attention to Taiwan, Xi said that "realizing China's complete reunification is an inevitable trend." He claimed annexing Taiwan was in the greater national interest and was "what the people desire."

Xi described the need for the Chinese Communist Party to launch an overarching policy for "resolving the Taiwan question in the new era," along with maintaining Beijing's "one-China principle" and the purported "1992 consensus." Xi urged steps to "advance integrated development in all fields" across the strait and the advancement of peaceful development of cross-strait ties.

He then vowed to resolutely prevent anyone from "making Taiwan secede from China by any means."