President Xi Jinping on Thursday vowed to bring Taiwan under Chinese control, saying the “complete reunification” of the motherland is an “unwavering historical mission” for the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and will certainly be achieved.
Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a ceremony marking the 160th birth anniversary of Sun Yat-sen, one of China’s nationalist leaders who is revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He pledged to accommodate the island’s realities but took a hard line against separatism. “Resolving the Taiwan question and realising the complete reunification of the motherland is an unwavering historical mission for the CPC, the shared aspiration of all Chinese people, and a natural requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force.
People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and all Chinese at home and abroad should join hands to oppose the “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces, and work together for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the complete reunification of the motherland, Xi said.
“On the basis of adhering to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, we are willing to engage in dialogue and consultations with people of vision and insight from all sectors in Taiwan on matters related to cross-Strait relations and national reunification,” Xi said.
“We will definitely give full consideration to Taiwan’s realities and take full account of the interests and feelings of our compatriots in Taiwan,” Xi said. “But we will never leave any room for ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities in any form.” “The historical trends are unstoppable. The complete reunification of our motherland must be realised, and it can, without doubt, be realised,” Xi said.
“Looking to the future, we remain committed to the policy of peaceful reunification and ‘one country, two systems’,” he told the gathering at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.