China for unification with Taiwan through peaceful means to achieve rejuvenation

Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for the peaceful unification of the country to achieve rejuvenation, because it serves the interests of all citizens, including Taiwanese counterparts.

Jintao was speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

He said Chinese citizens should strive to achieve rejuvenation, which was the cherished goal of a 1911 Revolution leader, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Xinhua reports.

Jintao quoted a 1911 revolution leader, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, as saying, "Unification is the hope of all Chinese people. If unification is achieved, the people will enjoy a happy life; if it is not, the people will suffer."

"Achieving reunification by peaceful means best serves the fundamental interests of all Chinese, including our Taiwan compatriots," he added.

He stressed on the need to strengthen the common political ground for opposing "Taiwanese independence".

Jintao also called for efforts to strengthen cross-Strait cooperation, and increase the economic competitiveness of both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"We should...end cross-Straits antagonisms, heal wounds of the past and work together to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," he said.

The 1911 Revolution, which began on October 10, 1911, ended 2,000 years of imperial rule by toppling the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and establishing the first republican government in Asia. (ANI)