Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to achieve “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, days after the regime ramped up military threats by sending a record number of warplanes near the island. “Reunification of the nation must be realized, and will definitely be realized,” Xi declared at the Great Hall of the People, the political hub of Beijing, in a speech commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution that established the first Chinese republic. “Reunification through peaceful means,” Xi said, “is the most in line with the overall interest of the Chinese nation, including Taiwan compatriots.” Xi, who chiefly used the speech to underscore what he believes is a need for the ruling communist party’s leadership in Taiwan, also called the island’s independence the “biggest obstacle to the reunification of motherland,” a policy goal of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and a “serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation.” Beijing claims the …