By Tu Haiming

The Overseas Chinese World Conference for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China was held in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Shi Taifeng, head of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, attended the meeting and delivered a speech on behalf of the central authorities.

He set out five expectations for overseas Chinese dedicated to promoting the reunification of the Chinese nation: 1. Strongly identify with Chinese ethnicity; 2. Share confidence in the reunification of the Chinese nation; 3. Vehemently oppose “Taiwan independence” and all forms of separatism; 4. Concentrate on enhancing the wellbeing of Chinese compatriots; and 5. Resolutely commit to improving the conditions for reunification. These are essential to the cause of fighting separatism and promoting national reunification.

Shi also pointed out that the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces have told numerous lies about the history of Taiwan to justify their de-Sinicization attempts and erase the historical and cultural bonds between the motherland and the island. However, no matter how hard they try, they can never change the unvarnished truth that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of the Chinese nation; “treasure island”, as it is called by Chinese people, is part of the southern Fujian region. Residents have called the island home for generations and their culture is undeniably rooted in the Chinese mainland regions where their ancestors came from. The cultural identity shared by the absolute majority of Taiwan residents is woven into the fabric of Chinese civilization. The great majority of Taiwan residents know their family roots are on the mainland and today many of them have close relatives on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, in addition to belonging to the same ethnic group, and having the same language and dialect. This is a reality no one can deny. In fact, it has remained intact since 1949 despite all the changes in sociopolitical development and external environment. The Chinese nation will accomplish full reunification no matter what, because it is part of the collective spiritual belief to pursue and protect national reunification. The fact that Taiwan is China’s territory has not changed and will never change. The international community as well as Taiwan residents should be absolutely clear about this reality.

History has shown that the Chinese nation has suffered greatly when the country has been torn apart by warring factions or ethnic groups. The country has enjoyed peace and prosperity when the Chinese nation has lived in unity and harmony.

The governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan is desperately pushing its “Taiwan independence” cause by challenging the one-China policy through collusion with foreign governments and counting on military backing from Sinophobic forces, while splitting Taiwan society with “pro-independence” nonsense and separatist indoctrination. Faced with such adverse conditions, the Chinese nation’s cause of national reunification can only be accomplished by defeating separatist forces of all stripes and their foreign enablers around the world.

Shi said, “The ultimate goal of achieving cross-Strait reunification is to build lasting peace and prosperity for the entire Chinese nation, so that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will enjoy a better life.”

Indeed, one need only look at what has happened since the central government launched the reform and opening-up drive in 1978 to find out how much Taiwan-based businesses have profited from investing in the booming mainland economy and how much more they can gain from continued cross-Strait business exchange and cooperation.

In September last year, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued a policy recommendation on supporting Fujian province’s efforts to explore new ways for cross-Strait economic integration and joint development in a demonstration zone in Fujian. The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee adopted the Resolution on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization upon its conclusion last month. The resolution includes policy measures to boost cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges, deepen joint development and offer Taiwanese compatriots more opportunities to benefit from the mainland’s strong development and enjoy their fair share of the fruits of Chinese modernization. It is not surprising that the Taiwan separatist forces are so scared of this positive development they would do anything to block cross-Strait socioeconomic integration.

The one-China policy has the consensus of the international community. Most fair-minded people in the world believe that China’s peaceful reunification is not only a blessing for the Chinese nation and Chinese people but also conducive to peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world. China’s national reunification is a historical process that cannot be stopped. All the “Taiwan independence” mumbo-jumbo and plots promoted by the DPP and other separatists are futile, and will only destroy cross-Strait peace and stability to the detriment of peaceful development in the Asia-Pacific region and even the whole world.

The author is vice-chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of Bauhinia Magazine.

Source: China Daily