Sun Yat-sen's spirit calls for better cross-Straits ties

The 150th birthday of Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), the forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution and founder of Kuomintang, will be celebrated on Saturday and could open a window of opportunity for the two sides of the Taiwan Straits to strengthen their cultural bond.

Dr Sun devoted his life to the cause of reunification that was also the aspiration of all Chinese people who fell victim to the endless clashes between warlords and the West-led invasion back then.

In particular, Dr Sun's "Three Principles of the People" - Nationalism, Democracy, and People's Livelihood - have a lot in common with the Chinese Dream proposed by top leader Xi Jinping in 2012, who again highlighted Dr Sun's contribution at Friday's memorial conference in Beijing to mark his 150th birthday.