Youths across the Strait should oppose ‘Taiwan independence,’ says CPPCC member

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The youth on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be united in the fight against the so-called “Taiwan independence,” said Jiang Liping, member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body.

Jiang, chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, one of the eight non-communist parties in the Chinese mainland, made the remarks during the fourth plenary meeting of the Fifth Session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing on Saturday. He is also the President of the All China Taiwanese Association in central China's Hubei Province.

Jiang Liping, member of the 12th CPPCC National Committee and chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League. /Xinhua Photo

“I wish you can get united, carry forward the honorable tradition of loving our motherland and hometowns and shoulder the responsibility together to oppose separatists seeking 'Taiwan independence' and safeguard the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations,” he advised young people on both sides of the Strait.

There are more than 10,000 students from Taiwan at colleges in the Chinese mainland and the number is growing by 20 percent annually, while hundreds of thousands of young people from the island work on the Chinese mainland, mainly in coastal areas and major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, Jiang said.

Young makers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait take part in an invention contest in Shanghai on August 1, 2016. /CFP Photo

However, cross-Strait youth communication has suffered setbacks since last year when the Democratic Progressive Party came into power in Taiwan, and refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which affirms the one-China principle.

Jiang urged the authorities in Taiwan to recognize the 1992 Consensus as the common political foundation for cross-Strait ties, work with the Chinese mainland for more cooperation under the one-China framework and thus help more youth from Taiwan achieve success on a broader stage.

Current Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen's refusal to recognize the 1992 Consensus has hampered cross-Strait communication. /Taiwan.cn Photo

He also stressed that “the reunification of the motherland is the fundamental interest of the Chinese nation and the common wish and sacred responsibility of all Chinese people,” calling on the youth from both sides to make contributions to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait attend a job fair in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province in east China on November 12, 2016. /CFP Photo

Jiang’s words echoed the government work report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday. “We will never tolerate any activity, in any form or name, which attempts to separate Taiwan from the motherland,” Li stressed.

A total of 14 CPPCC members made speeches at the plenary meeting on various topics such as CPPCC’s role in democratic supervision, the protection of intellectual property rights, religion, legal reform, the Belt and Road Initiative, the fight against corruption and global financial governance.

The fourth plenary meeting of the Fifth Session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

The Fifth Session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee opened on March 3 and will conclude on Monday.