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The Asian Independent - January 2019

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6 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />

ASIA<br />

www.theasianindependent.co.uk<br />

China ‘must be, will be’ reunified<br />

with Taiwan: Xi Jinping<br />

Beijing, President Xi<br />

Jinping on Wednesday said<br />

China must be and will be<br />

reunified with Taiwan, and<br />

called for the two rivals to work<br />

together to realise the “historic<br />

task” of complete reunification.<br />

“It is a historical conclusion<br />

drawn over 70 years of development<br />

of cross-strait relations,<br />

and a must for the great rejuvenation<br />

of the Chinese nation in<br />

the new era,” the Straits Times<br />

quoted Xi as saying in a speech<br />

at Beijing’s Great Hall of the<br />

People to commemorate the<br />

40th anniversary of “Message<br />

to Compatriots in Taiwan”.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Message was a policy<br />

document issued by the<br />

National People’s Congress —<br />

China’s Parliament — on<br />

<strong>January</strong> 1, 1979, the same day<br />

China and the US formally<br />

established relations after<br />

Washington broke ties with<br />

Taiwan. Up until 1979, China<br />

had conducted routine artillery<br />

bombardment of Taiwan-controlled<br />

offshore islands. But no<br />

peace treaty or formal end to<br />

hostilities has been signed<br />

since the detente, even as business,<br />

cultural and personal<br />

links flourished.<br />

In his speech, Xi sent a<br />

warning to advocates of<br />

Taiwan’s independence, including<br />

supporters of Taiwan<br />

President Tsai Ing-wen.<br />

Tsai, who has refused to<br />

affirm the “One China” consensus<br />

reached between Taiwan<br />

and China in 1992, has warned<br />

against continued threats from<br />

China.<br />

Xi said: “It’s a legal fact that<br />

both sides of the Strait belong<br />

to one China, and cannot be<br />

changed by anyone or any<br />

force.” Beijing “reserves the<br />

option of taking all necessary<br />

measures” against outside<br />

forces that interfere with peaceful<br />

reunification and against<br />

Taiwan independence separatist<br />

activities, he said.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Chinese leader also<br />

called for efforts to foster wideranging<br />

“democratic consultation”<br />

between representatives<br />

from both sides and deepen<br />

integrated development across<br />

the Taiwan Strait.<br />

He pledged to further institutionalise<br />

cross-strait economic<br />

cooperation and to forge a<br />

common market.<br />

Both sides should enhance<br />

the free flow of trade, connectivity<br />

in infrastructure,<br />

exchange of energy and<br />

resources, and shared industrial<br />

standards, Xi said.<br />

Unification would be done<br />

under a “one country, two systems”<br />

approach that would<br />

“safeguard the interests and<br />

well-being of Taiwanese compatriots”,<br />

and Taiwan will be<br />

guaranteed lasting peace, he<br />

said.<br />

'Accidental Prime Minister' :<br />

Case filed against Anupam<br />

Kher, others in BIHAR<br />

Patna : A case has been filed against actor Anupam Kher and<br />

others associated with upcoming film 'Accidental Prime Minister'<br />

in a Bihar court on Wednesday for damaging the image of some<br />

top people. Lawyer<br />

Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed<br />

the case in Muzaffarpur's<br />

Chief Judicial Magistrate<br />

(CJM) court. <strong>The</strong> court<br />

has admitted the case and<br />

fixed <strong>January</strong> 8 to hear<br />

the case in Sub<br />

Divisional Judicial<br />

Magistrate court.<br />

Ojha in his petition<br />

complained that Anupam<br />

Kher and Akshay<br />

Khanna, who have<br />

played the role of former<br />

Prime Minister<br />

Manmohan Singh and<br />

his press advisor Sanjaya<br />

Baru in the film, have<br />

damaged the image of<br />

both of them. "It hurt me<br />

and many others," he<br />

said. In his complaint,<br />

Ojha said others who<br />

have played the role of<br />

UPA chairperson Sonia<br />

Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi<br />

and Priyanka Vadra also damaged their image. He has also complained<br />

against the film director and producer.

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