Sun Yat-sen's vision of national unity and ethnic solidarity was commemorated on both sides of the Taiwan Strait on the 160th anniversary of his birth, reflecting a shared aspiration for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, analysts said.
At a commemorative gathering in Beijing on Thursday, President Xi Jinping said Sun had always upheld national unity and ethnic solidarity and resolutely opposed any words or actions aimed at splitting the country and dividing the nation.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that Taiwan's future lies in national reunification and that the interests and well-being of Taiwan compatriots are tied to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Born in 1866, Sun Yat-sen led the 1911 Revolution, which ended China's millennia-old imperial monarchy. He is revered as one of the nation's revolutionary forefathers and was also a founding figure of the Chinese Kuomintang.
On the same day, Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the KMT, led a delegation to pay tribute at the Zhongshan Forest of Steles at the Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall in Taipei.
The KMT said on Thursday that it consistently advocates dialogue and consultation across the Taiwan Strait, adding that this position resonates with Xi's remarks that people on both sides of the Strait are one family and should engage in constructive communication.
The KMT noted that such efforts had helped create conditions for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
It also said that commemorating Sun meant assuming the historical responsibility of improving people's well-being on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, building mutual trust through exchanges, maintaining peaceful cross-Strait relations and working toward the common goal of national rejuvenation.
Zheng Zhenqing, deputy director of the Institute for Taiwan Studies at Tsinghua University, said Xi's speech drew on Sun's legacy of pursuing national reunification and promoting ethnic solidarity. It highlighted the importance of advancing the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and achieving the complete reunification of the motherland from the perspective of the broader national interest, he said.
He added that the speech demonstrated the mainland's sincerity, goodwill and openness in respecting the views, interests and sentiments of Taiwan compatriots on reunification.
"It also made clear that there is no room for 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities or external interference, indicating that opposing and combating such activities is an integral part of promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and advancing the complete reunification," he said.
Chen Guiqing, a research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait had engaged in a series of dialogues this year on reunification and the future of the Chinese nation, with many Taiwan compatriots expressing specific views on the framework of "one country, two systems".
"The speech is a response to the shared aspirations of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, sends a strong message to compatriots on both sides and points the way forward for the development of cross-Strait relations," Chen said.
The Taiwan Labor Party also issued a statement on Thursday commemorating Sun, saying that returning to a common understanding of the Chinese nation was the right choice for Taiwan society and would best serve the people's well-being. It also called for breaking free from dependence on external hegemony and working toward the peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Strait.
The party also criticized "Taiwan independence" separatists for going against the broader interests of the Chinese nation and showing little concern for addressing people's livelihood problems.
Zheng said the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan continue to advocate "Taiwan independence" separatism and resist the trend toward reunification, which runs counter to Sun's aspiration for national unity.
