People pay tribute to Sun Yat-sen on the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution at Beijing’s Zhongshan Park on Oct 9. (RAO AIMIN / XINHUA)
President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed China’s resolve to curb “Taiwan independence” separatist activities and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity while calling upon people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to work together for national reunification and rejuvenation.
Observers and analysts said Xi’s televised speech, delivered on Oct 9 at a commemoration ceremony in Beijing of the 1911 Revolution, was of monumental significance and a gesture of unshakable resolution to reunify and revitalize the nation.
Xi reiterated that reunification by peaceful means best serves the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, including Taiwan residents, saying that the nation will adhere to the basic policies of peaceful reunification and “one country, two systems” and uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus.
People across the Straits should “stand on the right side of history and join hands to achieve the glorious cause of the nation’s complete reunification and rejuvenation”, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
“The Taiwan question arose out of the weakness and chaos of our nation, and it will be resolved as national rejuvenation becomes a reality. This is determined by the general trend of Chinese history, but more importantly, it is the common will of all Chinese people,” he said.
He underscored that the Chinese nation has a glorious tradition of opposing separatism and upholding unity, warning that those who forget their heritage, betray their motherland and seek to split the country will come to no good end. “They will be disdained by the people and put on trial by history,” he said.
The president also warned against external interference in the Taiwan question, saying that no one should underestimate the resolve, will and ability of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The complete reunification of our country will be and can be realized,” he said.
The speech marked the second time in over three months that Xi has renewed his pledge for national reunification. In a speech delivered on July 1, he vowed to resolutely smash any “Taiwan independence” plot.
Liu Xiangping, a professor on Taiwan studies at Nanjing University, said Xi’s speech has pointed the way, and will offer fresh impetus to exchanges and integrated development across the Straits.
He explained that national reunification and rejuvenation are two goals that reinforce each other. “The increase in China’s national strength will create better conditions for the reunification, while the reunification will also provide a better environment for the achieving of China’s second centenary goal,” he said.
Wang Shushen, an associate professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Taiwan Studies, said the commemoration of the 1911 Revolution will help refresh the common memory of compatriots on both sides of the Straits and boost their emotional connection.
“Taiwan compatriots should realize the island’s future lies in reunification and national rejuvenation. That is also the call of history,” he said.
In his speech, Xi hailed the 1911 Revolution, which ended more than 2,000 years of imperial rule in China, as a “towering landmark” in the national journey toward rejuvenation.
He lauded Sun Yat-sen as a great national hero, a great patriot, and a great pioneer of China’s democratic revolution, saying that the historic contributions made by Sun and his peers will never fade away.
Chinese Communists were the most steadfast supporters, loyal collaborators and faithful successors to the revolutionary cause initiated by Sun, he said, adding that under the leadership of the CPC, the aspirations held by Sun and the pioneers of the revolution are becoming reality.
Xi expounded on what the past 110 years have been like for the Chinese people. He also emphasized on rallying the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and abroad to work together to realize the rejuvenation of the nation.
“The past 110 years have shown us that to realize national rejuvenation, the Chinese people must have a strong force to lead us forward, and that force is the CPC,” he said.
The CPC was chosen to lead by history and by the people, and its leadership is the very foundation and lifeblood of the Party and the country. It is the crux upon which the interests and well-being of all Chinese people depend, he said.
History has also shown that the path the nation takes is of fundamental importance, and the nation must uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, deepen reform and opening-up across the board, endeavor to fulfill the people’s aspirations for a better life and realize common prosperity for all, he said.
He stressed the importance of the self-reliance of the Chinese people in the course of national rejuvenation and urged stronger unity — a key element for the nation to overcome risks and challenges ahead.
“Through courage and skill, we will overcome all major risks and challenges that may impede our path to national rejuvenation and resolutely safeguard our national sovereignty, security, and development interests,” he said.
Experts and scholars across the world spoke highly of Xi’s speech at the Oct 9 commemoration marking the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution that ended imperial rule in China.
They said that under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people will follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics to realize the great rejuvenation of China, and will make more important contributions to world peace, development and prosperity.
Samer Khair Ahmed, a Jordanian writer and expert on Arab-China relations, said Xi’s speech is “of high importance”.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics “succeeded in combining the best economic practices that encourage productivity, work and economic growth with preserving social justice”, and “preserved the rights of the people and their dignity in life”, Ahmed said.
“It was proven with evidence that the Chinese approach in implementing socialism is successful,” he said, adding that China has provided the whole world with experience in implementing socialism.
Humphrey Moshi, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, said: “The realities on the ground have proved that socialism with Chinese characteristics has not only led to inclusive social and economic growth … (such as the) eradication of poverty within a very short period of time, but it has also transformed the world … in a variety of ways.”
Commending China for being a leading advocate of multilateralism, Moshi said the country has boosted the development of many developing countries, including those in Africa, through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative, among others.
Oleg Timofeyev, associate professor at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, said China has turned into a prosperous country and one of the world’s leading economies.
Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said China has eliminated extreme poverty and achieved building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects 110 years after the Revolution of 1911, and that its effort to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.
Oh said he looks forward to China’s continuous promotion of regional and global stability and development, as well as common prosperity for all.
Hassan Ragab, director of the Confucius Institute at the Suez Canal University in Egypt, hailed Xi’s speech as both “important” and “comprehensive”.
It has shown that “China is going on the right path”, Ragab said.
“Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a distinctive feature of China, because it stems from reality, and … based on sharing and bringing benefits to all people,” he said.
China, led by the CPC, has successfully tackled great challenges including rural poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic, among others, he noted.
China has also made great contributions at the international level, such as helping developing countries, including Egypt, he added.
Xinhua contributed to this report.
