China is calling for national unity for all areas it considers Chinese territory.
Speaking at the 150th anniversary of the birth of China's first president Sun Yat-sen, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday China will not tolerate any attempts by territories to separate from China.
The president's remarks come as China has suspended communication with self-governing Taiwan until it recognizes the "one China" policy and after China barred two elected officials in Hong Kong from taking office after they expressed anti-China sentiment.
"All activities attempting to split the country will definitely be strongly opposed by all Chinese people. We will resolutely not allow anyone, any organization, any party to split any bit of territory from China, in any way at any time," Xi said at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female president of the China-skeptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), took office in May following a landslide electoral victory over the more China-friendly Kuomintang party (KMT). She called on Beijing to face up to the reality of her government's existence and the island's democracy and said the two sides should sit down and talk.
China insists that Taiwan is part of China.
The Chinese government has criticized Hong Kong independence advocates as separatists and belittled them as a fringe minority. When China’s number-three ranking leader Zhang Dejiang visited the territory in May, he warned that Hong Kong would “undoubtedly rot” if it gave up its “one country, two systems” formula of autonomy, enshrined in the Basic Law.
