1st Ld-Writethru: Xi reiterates opposition to "Taiwan independence"

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, stressed the political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" to ensure the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations at a rally on Friday.

"We firmly oppose the 'Taiwan independence' secessionist activities," Xi said at the ceremony marking the 95th founding anniversary of the CPC.

"More than 1.3 billion Chinese people and the whole Chinese nation will by no means tolerate secessionist activities by any person, at any time and in any form," he said.

Xi also reaffirmed his stance on China's management of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Macao SAR.

The successful practice of the "one country, two systems" principle has been highly recognized worldwide and has powerful vitality, Xi said, adding any difficulty or challenge will never unsettle the country's resolution and confidence in it.

He pledged to keep implementing the principles of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and "Macao people governing Macao" with a high degree of autonomy, and promised support for the chief executives and governments of the two regions in their legal governance. Endi