Xi says Chinese-style modernisation is path to national rejuvenation
President Xi Jinping spoke at a Beijing event marking Sun Yat-sen's 160th birthday, calling for national unity and opposing separatism. He stressed that Chinese-style modernisation is the route to national strength and the realisation of Sun's vision of a rejuvenated China.
A ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the birth of Dr Sun Yat-sen was held in Beijing on 12 November. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of the Military Commission, delivered a speech highlighting Sun's unwavering commitment to national unity and his opposition to any form of separatism.
Xi said that throughout the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilisation, the belief that territory must not be divided, the nation must not be thrown into chaos, the ethnic groups must not be separated and the civilisation must not be interrupted remained a shared conviction among all Chinese people. He described resolving the Taiwan issue and achieving the complete reunification of the motherland as an unswerving historical mission of the Communist Party and a common aspiration of all Chinese people.
Xi emphasised that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese, bound by blood ties. He said that as long as there is a willingness to talk and negotiate, any differences can be resolved. He reaffirmed the policy of peaceful reunification and the 'one country, two systems' formula, based on the One-China principle and the 1992 consensus. Xi said the Communist Party was willing to hold dialogue and consultation with all sectors of Taiwan society on cross-strait relations and national reunification, adding that the party would fully consider the realities of Taiwan and the interests of its people, while leaving no room for any form of separatist activities.
Xi stated that Taiwan's future lies in national reunification and that the interests and well-being of Taiwanese compatriots are tied to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He called on all Chinese people, both at home and abroad, to join hands to oppose separatist forces and work for peaceful cross-strait relations and the eventual reunification of the country.
Xi said that using Chinese-style modernisation to comprehensively advance the building of a strong nation and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people is the new long march for the Communist Party and the Chinese people, and the only path to realise Dr Sun Yat-sen's ideal of a revitalised China.