BEIJING-- A senior Chinese official said on Sunday that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the most loyal inheritor of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen-led anti-imperialism and feudalism revolution.
Zhou Tienong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, made the remark in his speech at a grand meeting to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution.
The revolution, led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen who is the founder of the Kuomintang, overturned the absolute monarchy that had ruled China for more than 2,000 years and spread far and wide the thinking of democratic revolution.
"History fully proves that Chinese Communists are the staunchest supporters, closest cooperators and most loyal inheritors of the revolutionary cause of Dr. Sun Yat-sen," Zhou said.
After the Revolution of 1911, the New Culture Movement advocating democracy and science arose and Marxism rapidly spread in China. In July 1921, the CPC was founded, which heralded the dawn of and created hope for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the official said.
After its founding, the CPC steadfastly drew upon and carried forward the revolutionary spirit of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and viewed its cause as a continuation and advance of the Revolution of 1911, he said.
The CPC united with and led the people of all China's ethnic groups in waging an arduous struggle and winning victory in the new-democratic revolution, achieving independence of the Chinese nation and liberation of the Chinese people, a historic mission that countless Chinese patriots had craved throughout modern Chinese history, Zhou said.
To fulfill Dr. Sun Yat-sen's wish to revitalize China and complete the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, over the past century the democratic parties in China have stood together with the CPC and cooperated and united with it in a common endeavor to further China's revolution, construction and reform, he said.
"We have come to realize that without the CPC, there would have been no socialist New China, and that without the leadership of the CPC, it would be impossible to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," said the official who is also Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
"Today, as we cherish the memory of the revolutionary martyrs and forebears, we are more eager than ever to see the early and complete reunification of the motherland.
"Dr. Sun Yat-sen dedicated his whole life to opposing China's disunion and upholding its unity, and these were also the unwavering goals of our forebears of the Revolution of 1911," Zhou said.
He said that thanks to the joint efforts made by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in recent years, significant achievements have been made in the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations to the benefit of the people on both sides.
"We sincerely hope that our compatriots on both sides put the interests of the Chinese nation first, cherish the hard-won historic opportunities we now have, adhere to the theme of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and work together to safeguard and consolidate our two sides' common political foundation of opposing 'Taiwan independence' and upholding the 1992 Consensus."
As a representative who speaks for all eight non-communist parties in China, Zhou said the 1911 Revolution not only overthrew the decadent and incompetent reign of the Qing Dynasty but also opened the floodgate for China's progress.
The revolution marked the beginning of a truly national democratic revolution in modern China, helped free the minds of the Chinese people, brought about the first historic change of China in the 20th century and became a great milestone in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Zhou said.
