TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) rejected Chinese leader Xi Jinping's (習近平) claims to Taiwan as the People's Republic of China (PRC) marked its 75th anniversary. 

At a state banquet held on the eve of the anniversary on Monday (Sept. 30), Xi claimed that Taiwan is “China's sacred territory, and the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, and blood is thicker than water,” per Tai Sounds. He insisted on continued adherence to Beijing's "one-China principle" and the "1992 Consensus" and firmly opposed "Taiwan independence separatist activities." 

Xi said achieving the "complete reunification of the motherland" is “an irreversible trend, a righteous cause, and the will of the people." He declared, "No one can stop the wheel of history."

In a statement issued on Monday, the MAC called on China's authorities to “face up to the reality that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not affiliated with each other, rationally face the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, and engage in pragmatic dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected government." It called on Beijing to build goodwill to foster favorable conditions for the development of cross-strait relations.

Before a session of the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) told the media, “The Republic of China is a sovereign country. Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China," per PTS News. He emphasized, “The reality and objective fact of the Taiwan Strait is that the two sides are not subordinate to each other.”

Chiu added that China's “one China” principle and the “1992 Consensus” are opposed by mainstream public opinion in Taiwan.