Communist China has been staring with a narrowed gaze across the strait at Taiwan since, well, 1949. The Communist government considers Taiwan, or Formosa as was, to be Chinese territory. Now we see that Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his annual New Year's address to the people of China (at least, to those who are allowed to watch/listen), made some remarks about Taiwan that are raising some eyebrows in Taipei — and, probably, Washington.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his annual New Year's Eve address, reiterated his claim that Taiwan would "surely be reunified" with China. 

His message comes ahead of Taiwan's crucial 13 January elections that will determine the island's cross-strait policy for the next four years. 

He also struck a stronger tone than last year's message, where he spoke of Taiwan being part of the "same family".

China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan ahead of the elections.

The elections, to be held in January, may well set Taiwan's tone towards China, as well. There are two primary factions in Taiwan's political scene:

Separately, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said in her New Year's address that the island's relations with China must be decided by the "will of the Taiwanese people". Her government has repeatedly warned that Beijing is trying to interfere in the election, where a new president and government will be chosen.

Taiwan's Kuomintang party (KMT) has traditionally favoured warmer ties with Beijing - though it denies being pro-China. The KMT's main rival, Ms Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has ruled Taiwan for the past eight years and takes a stronger line towards China - insisting it is sovereign and not a part of China.

No matter which party comes out ahead in January's election, it's a safe bet that neither party wishes outright reunification with Communist China. That means that reunification by force is the only option for Chairman Xi's ambitions regarding Taiwan might be realized.

And China, we should note, is not only dialing its military in — but is exploring other avenues of aggression as well.

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The United States does not officially recognize Taiwan's government, the Republic of China. We are obligated to provide military support to Taiwan, although our current military posture limits how much support we can provide in the event of an open conflict. China's navy is considerable, and while their at-sea replenishment capability (at present) probably isn't sufficient to allow them to dominate the Pacific, their current forces are enough to wield a great deal of control over the Taiwan Strait.

In his speech, Chairman Xi also struck a more diplomatic tone towards the United States:

Mr Xi noted that "adhering to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation is the correct way for China and the United States to interact", according to Reuters, which cited Chinese state media outlet CCTV.

The problem with that is that, as we all know, the art of diplomacy consists primarily of saying "Nice doggy, nice doggy" until you can find a rock. China is making moves in the western Pacific, and at the moment, the United States is far from in the best position to counter any Chinese efforts.