"Impossible" is for the People's Republic of China (PRC) to become our homeland because Taiwan has deeper political roots, Taiwanese President Lai Chin-te said today, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
Lai, who took office in May, has been branded a "separatist" by China. He rejects China's claim to sovereignty over the island, saying it is a country called the Republic of China, which dates back to the 1911 revolution that overthrew the imperial dynasty.
The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's Communists, who founded the People's Republic of China, which continues to claim Taiwan as its "sacred" territory.
Speaking at a concert just days before Taiwan's national holiday on Oct. 10, Lai pointed out that the PRC celebrated its 75th anniversary on Oct. 1, and in just a few days the Republic of China will celebrate its 113th anniversary.
/p>
"Therefore, from the point of view of the time difference, it is absolutely impossible for the People's Republic of China to become the "motherland" for the people of the Republic of China. On the contrary, the Republic of China can be the homeland of the people of the People's Republic of China, which has turned 75 years old," Lai said to the applause of the audience.
"One of the most important meanings of these celebrations, which we must remember, is that we are a sovereign and independent country," he added.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.
In a speech on the eve of the country's national holiday, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the Chinese government's position that Taiwan is part of China's territory.
Lai, who will in turn deliver a speech on Taiwan's national holiday on Oct. 10, recalled by Reuters as having angered Beijing in the past with historical references.
Last month, Lai said that if China's claims to Taiwan are related to territorial integrity, then Beijing should also claim territories from Russia ceded by China's last imperial dynasty in the 19th century.