Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed support for the country’s vulnerable elderly and youth in a new year address that acknowledged the strains on some of the 1.4bn-strong population. Xi’s speech comes after his economic planners have for much of the past four years struggled to restore consumer confidence or address rising youth unemployment and slow wage growth.

Weeks before Trump takes office, the Chinese leader is seeking to shore up confidence that China’s economy can withstand threats.

No one can stop China's "reunification" with Taiwan, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his New Year's speech on Tuesday (Dec 31), laying down a clear warning to what Beijing regards as pro-independence forces within and outside of the island of 23 million people.

Chinese President Xi Jinping in a New Year's address declared Taiwan and China to be one people and said no nation can stop China from annexing the island nation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ended the year with a threat over Taiwan, saying "no one can stop the reunification" with China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his New Year’s address on Tuesday, said China's economy has rebounded, with GDP projected to exceed 130 trillion yuan ($17.8 trillion). Regarding Taiwan, he asserted that "no one can stop the historic trend of national reunification.

In his New Year's message, Xi also highlighted China's aim to strengthen international cooperation and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized China’s commitment to global governance reform and assured the people about the economy, saying that the country has proactively responded to the impacts of the changing environment at home and abroad.

In a clear warning to what Beijing view as pro-independence forces within and outside of Taiwan, China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said that no one can stop China's reunification with Taiwan. While addressing his New Year's speech which was televised on China's state broadcaster CCTV,

In Tuesday's New Year address, Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized the necessity of unifying China with Taiwan and warned that Beijing would not allow anyone to break its "family ties" with the island.

In a bold New Year’s address, Xi Jinping asserted that China's reunification with Taiwan is unstoppable, intensifying military pressure on the island amidst rising tensions. The speech signals Beijing's firm stance against perceived independence movements while Taiwan's government insists on self-determination.