Discoursing Unity: Language, Power, and Reunification in Chinese and Taiwanese Political Speeches

Language does not merely reflect political reality, it actively constructs, legitimizes, and contests it, especially in contexts marked by ideological rivalry and contested sovereignty. Situated within this premise, this study examines how reunification is discursively framed in Chinese and Taiwanese political speeches through the intersecting lenses of language, power, and ideology. Although cross strait relations have been widely discussed in political and international studies, limited attention has been given to how reunification is linguistically constructed through competing rhetorical strategies in official speeches. Addressing this gap, the study investigates selected speeches by Xi Jinping and Tsai Ing wen to reveal how each leader mobilizes discourse to shape public meaning, national identity, and political legitimacy. Methodologically, this research employs a qualitative descriptive design using Critical Discourse Analysis grounded in Van Dijk’s framework, with NVivo 14 supporting textual coding, word frequency analysis, and thematic pattern identification. The findings show a clear ideological divergence between the two political discourses. Xi Jinping frames reunification as a historical necessity tied to national rejuvenation, collective destiny, and culturally embedded values associated with Confucian harmony and unity. In contrast, Tsai Ing wen constructs Taiwan through the discourse of democracy, sovereignty, inclusion, and self-determination, positioning reunification as a potential threat to democratic life. These contrasting linguistic patterns demonstrate that political speeches function as strategic sites where power is normalized, resisted, and symbolically negotiated. This study offers an original contribution by integrating discourse analysis with cross strait political rhetoric and provides broader implications for understanding how language shapes geopolitical tensions, identity formation, and regional stability in East Asia.