Xi Jinping: "We Must Achieve the Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation"... Stresses Need for Taiwan Reunification

Remarks at Ceremony Marking the 160th Anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's Birth

Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that China should carry on Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary spirit and achieve the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the 160th anniversary of Sun's birth. Despite strong opposition from Taiwan, Xi also described reunification across the Taiwan Strait as a "historic mission."

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on the 6th. Reuters-Yonhap News

According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on Thursday, Xi attended a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that day. "The best way to honor Mr. Sun Yat-sen is to emulate, carry on and develop his valuable spirit," he said. "We must steadily advance the cause of building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation."

Xi described Sun as "a great national hero, patriot and pioneer of China's democratic revolution." He went on to stress that China should carry on Sun's legacy and realize the dream of national rejuvenation that the Chinese people have cherished since modern times.

According to some foreign media reports, Xi also said in his speech that achieving complete reunification with Taiwan was an unavoidable historic mission. He reiterated his commitment to pursuing peaceful reunification and reaffirmed the "One Country, Two Systems" policy. He urged people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to oppose pro-independence forces in Taiwan and support the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.

Sun Yat-sen, who led the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, was a leader of the predecessor to China's Kuomintang. In China, he is revered as a pioneer of the democratic revolution, while in Taiwan he is honored as the founding father of the Republic of China. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has commemorated Sun, describing him as a pioneer of China's democratic revolution.

Earlier, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported last month that the Chinese government was emphasizing the case for cross-strait reunification by arguing that the Communist Party had carried on Sun's revolutionary spirit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.