TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平) reiterated his dream of bringing Taiwan under Chinese rule in his address to the nation during the party's centennial celebration on Thursday (July 1).

Xi delivered the speech at 8 a.m. at Tiananmen Square, stating that Beijing will never accept being told what to do. He urged the public to “firmly grasp the destiny of China's progress” and to “never allow any foreign forces to bully, oppress, or enslave” them. Whoever attempts to take advantage of the country will have to answer to 1.4 billion Chinese, he threatened.

The general secretary said that maintaining prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau, solving the “Taiwan issue,” and achieving the “complete unification of the motherland” are the unwavering historical duties of the CCP and the common aspirations of all Chinese.

Xi also said that Beijing will adhere to the “one China” principle and the so-called 1992 Consensus to achieve peaceful unification with Taiwan. All Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait must work together and eliminate any notion of Taiwanese independence in order to “create a beautiful future for national rejuvenation,” he added.

No one should underestimate China’s determination, will, and ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Xi said.