President Hu Jintao yesterday made the celebration marking the centenary of the 1911 revolution a case for reunification with Taiwan, a cause he said served the best interests on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and should therefore be pursued as a common goal.
Hu was speaking at a ceremony held at the Great Hall of People in Beijing for the 100th anniversary of the revolution, which ended the nation's long imperial history.
The event was attended by all nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party's Central Committee, as well as by former party secretary Jiang Zemin and several other former party elders.
In his 20-minute speech, Hu said Beijing and Taipei should end antagonism, 'heal past wounds and work together to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation'.
'Achieving reunification by peaceful means best serves the fundamental interests of all Chinese, including our Taiwan compatriots,' Hu said, adding that both sides should increase economic competitiveness, promote Chinese culture and build on a sense of a common national identity.
'Working together to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations ... should be the goal of both sides,' he added.
The ceremony, which lasted about 40 minutes, featured 10 red flags that flanked a giant portrait of Sun Yat-sen, who led the 1911 revolution and became the president of the first republic in China.
