Taipei [Taiwan], November 12 (ANI): Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday urged Beijing to acknowledge the continued existence of the Republic of China (ROC) and respect Taiwan's democratic system after Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated that unification with Taiwan was inevitable, according to a report by Central News Agency (CNA).
Xi made the remarks during a ceremony in Beijing marking what China described as the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary leader who overthrew the Qing dynasty and established the ROC in 1912.
Sun Yat-sen is revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait for his role in ending imperial rule. Taiwan's ROC government, which relocated to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War, regards him as its founding father, while the People's Republic of China (PRC) considers him a pioneer of China's democratic revolution.
During his speech, Xi portrayed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the most faithful successor to Sun's revolutionary legacy, arguing that the late leader's commitment to national unity supported Beijing's objective of unification with Taiwan.
Describing complete reunification as a historical mission of the CCP, Xi said that "the tide of history cannot be stopped" and that unification "must and will be achieved."
He also reiterated Beijing's commitment to pursuing "peaceful reunification" under its proposed "one country, two systems" framework. Xi said China was willing to hold talks on cross-strait relations and unification but maintained that there would be no room for Taiwan independence.
The "one country, two systems" framework has been implemented by Beijing in Hong Kong and Macao following their respective handovers from British and Portuguese rule. However, Taiwan's government and a majority of its people have rejected the proposal.
Responding to Xi's remarks, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council accused Beijing of distorting historical narratives and using Sun Yat-sen's legacy to advance its political objective of unification with Taiwan.
In a statement issued after its regular news briefing, the council said that if the CCP genuinely wished to commemorate Sun Yat-sen, it should acknowledge the continued existence of the ROC he founded.
The MAC also called on Beijing to respect Taiwan's democratic way of life and pursue political reforms.
The council maintained that the ROC had never been overthrown or replaced, adding that neither the ROC nor the PRC was subordinate to the other.
"The PRC has never ruled Taiwan for a single day," the MAC said, arguing that Beijing had no right to impose unification on Taiwan or determine the island's future.
It also rejected the "one country, two systems" proposal, stressing that Taiwan's future must be decided by its 23 million people under the ROC's democratic constitutional system.
Earlier, MAC Deputy Head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh described Xi's latest remarks on unification as "not much different from the past."
According to CNA, Liang said the speech was primarily aimed at presenting the CCP as the legitimate successor to Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary ideals while reinforcing the legitimacy of CCP rule and Xi's political ideology.
The report also highlighted a difference between Beijing and Taipei over the anniversary being commemorated.
While China described Thursday's ceremony as marking the 160th birth anniversary of Sun Yat-sen, Taiwan's government observed his 160th birth anniversary last year and considers 2026 his 161st, following a traditional counting system that treats the year of birth as the first year.
The latest exchange underscores the continuing disagreement between Beijing and Taipei over Taiwan's political status, historical identity and future across the Taiwan Strait, as reported by Central News Agency. (ANI)
Taiwan urges China to respect ROC’s democracy after Xi reiterates "inevitable" unification
