Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers an important speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 9th, one day before the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. Beijing = Associated Press
On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the ‘Xinhai Revolution’, the two leaders of China and Taiwan engaged in another fierce ‘war of words’. Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Taiwan’s independence forces that “if they betray the motherland and divide the country, they will inevitably be abandoned by the people and face the judgment of history.” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen responded by saying, “It’s a fantasy that Taiwanese people will yield to[China]pressure.” October 10, 1911, when the Wuchang Uprising, which triggered the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established China’s first republic (Republic of China), is commemorated as Revolution Day (China) in China and National Day in Taiwan as National Day (National Day), respectively. The recently exacerbated cross-strait (China-Taiwan) relationship is reflected in the commemorative speeches of the two leaders.
Xi Jinping: Taiwan’s independence forces must be judged
In an important speech commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 9th, Xi said, “Taiwan’s independence forces are the greatest obstacle to national reunification and a serious danger to the revival of the Chinese nation.” “We do not tolerate any outside interference in the Taiwan issue, which is purely China’s internal affairs,” he said.
In his 34-minute speech that day, Xi chanted ‘unification’ 12 times and ‘revival’ 25 times. Referring to the Opium War of 1840, when Western powers ravaged China, he said, “China’s feudal rulers were humiliated and incompetent, and the nation was humiliated and the people were in disaster. It has been the most ambitious dream to achieve a great revival of the Chinese nation since then.”
Especially in the second half of the speech, when discussing the Taiwan issue, his voice became stronger and his expression became even more bitter. Regarding the Taiwan issue, President Xi said, “It was created because the nation was weak and confused.” “The historical mission of the complete reunification of the country must be realized,” he stressed. Citing the remarks of Sun Yat-sen (Son Zhongshan), who led the Xinhai Revolution, “If reunification, the hope of all Chinese people, is achieved, we will enjoy happiness, but if unification does not happen, we will suffer damage.” highly pointed out. As China’s revival is inevitable, it is interpreted to mean that the day for Taiwan’s reunification is imminent.
Of course, there were also mentions that emphasized ‘peace’. The premise was that “the peaceful reunification of the motherland is in the best interests of the Chinese nation as a whole,” Xi said. It is similar to the way former President Hu Jintao offered a hand of reconciliation in his 100th anniversary speech 10 years ago when he said he was “opposition to Taiwan’s independence” but “let’s end the hostility between the two sides and heal the wounds of the past.” But the focus was different. For President Xi, the Taiwan issue was only a stumbling block to China’s progress and revival. This is because of the sense of crisis that the United States, Europe, and Japan are also interfering in the Taiwan issue, which China has defined as a ‘core interest’.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a commemorative speech at the National Founding Day (Double Ten Day) event held in Taipei on the 10th. Taipei = AFP Yonhap News
Tsai Ing-wen: China’s path is not a democratic one
President Tsai did not back down. In his speech at the National Day celebration on the 10th, he did not directly criticize China, saying, “Our claim is to maintain the status quo,” and hoped for a easing of tensions in the cross-strait relationship. In particular, he refuted President Xi’s speech the day before, saying, “There should never be any illusions that Taiwanese people will yield to pressure.”
President Tsai said at the ceremony that day, “I will uphold sovereignty and defend the country.” “Taiwan will not act rashly,” he said. “The path China has laid out is not a free and democratic path for Taiwan, nor does it provide the sovereignty of 23 million Taiwanese,” he said. “Taiwan and China should not be subordinate to each other,” he said.
This trend was also reflected in the commemorative events of the two countries. China’s state-run CCTV relayed the commemorative ceremony on the 9th, and unlike the previous war, it was the first to mention the presence of delegations of the People’s Liberation Army and armed police, and also several close-ups of military and police officials. At the Double Ten Day event in Taiwan on the 10th, a Chinook transport helicopter flew over the President’s Office with the flag of the Republic of China, the largest ever (18mX12m) in history. -2 (air defense missiles), etc., and showed off the national defense power.
Beijing= Kim Kwang-soo correspondent rollings@hankookilbo.com
Kim Jung-woo reporter wookim@hankookilbo.com
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