The 110th anniversary of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution that ended the imperial system in China under Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s leadership was widely celebrated on Oct. 9 with a commemoration event at the Great Hall of the People, where President Xi Jinping addressed the subject. But while rejuvenation of the Chinese people was the main topic of discussion, the primary sub-topic was the need for reunification between the mainland and Taiwan. Xi said: “The greatest obstacle to rejuvenation is ‘Taiwan independence.’”
The event brought together a good part of the Chinese ruling elite, including descendants of those who were killed during the Xinhai Revolution. Prior to Xi’s comments, Wang Exiang, representing the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (the party founded by opponents of Chiang Kai-shek’s leadership of the KMT in 1948, now recognized as one of the eight minor parties in the CPC) as well as several other political parties active in China, spoke. He underlined the role of the CPC in carrying forward the torch of Dr. Sun and the importance of reunification with Taiwan. Also, Wang Lijun spoke, representing the Returned Overseas Chinese, saying that overseas Chinese should also support the efforts of the CPC and uphold the “one China” principle.
In his speech, Xi extolled the work of Dr. Sun, stating that the CPC after its founding, moved to support the movement Sun founded. Dr. Sun was the first to coin the term “Revive China,” (which was the name of his first political organization). Dr. Sun’s movement led to the founding of the Chinese Republic, the first in Asia, Xi said.
