General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping said that the best tribute to Sun Yat-sen is to continue the pursuit for a rejuvenated China that he had dreamed of.
Xi made the remarks here at a gathering to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth on Friday.
"The best way we commemorate Sun Yat-sen is to learn and carry forward his invaluable spirit, to unite all that can be united and mobilize all that can be mobilized to carry on the pursuit for a rejuvenated China that he had dreamed of," Xi, who is also Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in a speech.
Born in 1866, Sun was the founder of the Kuomintang Party, and is a revered revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in overthrowing imperial rule in China.
CPC members are the firmest supporters, most loyal collaborators and most faithful successors of Sun's revolutionary undertakings, Xi said.
"Today, we are closer, more confident and more able to achieve national rejuvenation than ever before," Xi said.
"I call on all Chinese who revere Mr. Sun Yat-sen, including compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese, to unite, no matter their political affiliations," Xi said.
Li Keqiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the event.
The gathering was chaired by Yu, also top political advisor.
NATIONAL INTEGRITY, REUNIFICATION
Xi said that Sun had staunchly championed the integrity of the country and unity of the nation.
"Sun Yat-sen unequivocally opposed any remarks or actions that attempted to split the country or the nation," Xi said in his speech.
Quoting Sun, Xi said that united, the people of the entire country benefit; disunited, people suffer.
It is the shared conviction of Chinese that China is a unified country, and it is this belief that ensures the continuation of the nation as a whole, Xi said, quoting Sun.
To achieve the complete reunification of the motherland is in the fundamental interest of the Chinese nation and it is common aspiration as well as sacred duty of all Chinese, Xi said.
The peaceful development of cross-Strait relations is the correct path toward peace across the Strait, shared development and the improved well-being of compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Xi noted.
"We are ready to engage with any political Party, organization or individual from Taiwan, as long as they acknowledge the 1992 Consensus and recognize that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, no matter what they may have supported in the past," Xi said.
Xi called on compatriots from both sides across the Taiwan Strait and Chinese all across the globe to unite and oppose "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces, saying the future of compatriots of both the mainland and Taiwan is closely intertwined with the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
China experienced more than 100 years of upheaval and struggle and this was still very fresh in the memories of Chinese, Xi said.
"It is our solemn commitment to the history and the people" to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to make sure that the country is never torn apart again, Xi said.
"Any attempt to split the country will be resolutely opposed by all Chinese people," Xi said, vowing "we'll never allow anyone, any organization or political Party to rip out any part of our territory at any time or in any form."
While presiding over the gathering, Yu called for uniting more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, holding high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and contributing more to the country's peaceful reunification and the Chinese nation's rejuvenation.
