We should all strive to reunify the motherland

September 15, 1990

Recently the Taiwan side has shown a little more flexibility. Nevertheless, some people in Taiwan want to create ``one country, two governments'' and even to change the composition of the United Nations. In reality, they are still trying to create ``two Chinas''. At present, the United Nations recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and Taiwan as a part of China. How can the authorities in Taiwan be called the Chinese Government? They can't. Nothing could be more reasonable than the ``one country, two systems'' arrangement. What would Taiwan stand to lose by it? This is an opportunity for Taiwan and the entire nation. All of us should work hard to push Taiwan towards reunification.

The mainland, with a population of 1.1 billion, 92 per cent of which is of the Han nationality and 8 per cent of other nationalities, is the largest part of China. Our policies towards all ethnic groups are correct and guarantee genuine equality among them. We always pay close attention to the interests of the minorities -- one important feature of China is precisely that there are no major disputes between ethnic groups.

Our compatriots on the mainland, those in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and the overseas Chinese are all descendants of the Chinese people. We should all strive to reunify our motherland and revitalize our nation.

(Excerpt from a talk with Kuok Hock Nien, Chairman of the Board of Kuok Brothers, Sdn. Bhd. (Pvt., Ltd.) in Malaysia.)

(From Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Volume III <1982-1992>)