BEIJING (The Thursday Times) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control is a historic mission of the Communist Party that must be achieved, in remarks at a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen.
“Resolving the Taiwan question and achieving the complete reunification of the motherland is an unwavering historical mission of the Communist Party of China,” Xi said, according to Chinese state media.
He called reunification a shared aspiration of the Chinese people and a necessary step towards what Beijing calls national rejuvenation, and urged people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Chinese communities abroad to oppose forces seeking Taiwan’s independence.
Peaceful terms, firm goal
Xi said Beijing still sought a peaceful path and repeated China’s offer of a “one country, two systems” arrangement for the island, the model under which Hong Kong was returned in 1997. The proposal has found little support among Taiwan’s main political parties.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory. The government in Taipei rejects Beijing’s claim of sovereignty and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
Sun, born in 1866, led the 1911 revolution that ended imperial rule in China and founded the Kuomintang, which is now in opposition in Taiwan. He is honoured on both sides of the strait, and Beijing often uses anniversaries of his birth to press its case on unification.
Pakistan’s position
Pakistan has long backed the one-China policy. Last month Islamabad closed its airspace to Taiwanese airlines in a first-of-its-kind show of support for Beijing, before reopening it days later.
