In news from and about Taiwan this morning ....

The Mainland Affairs Council is urging Beijing to recognize the continued
existence of the Republic of China and respect Taiwan's democracy.

The call comes after Xi Jinping reiterated that unification with Taiwan was
inevitable.

Xi made the remarks at a ceremony in Beijing marking what China calls the
160th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen.

In his speech, Xi portrayed the Chinese Communist Party as the most faithful
successor to Sun's revolutionary cause, arguing that the late leader's
commitment to national unity supported Beijing's goal of unification with
Taiwan.

Xi described achieving China's "complete reunification" as a historical
mission of the C-C-P and reiterated Beijing's commitment to "peaceful
reunification" under its "one country, two systems" framework ...

.... saying China was willing to hold talks on cross-strait relations and
unification while insisting that there would be no room for Taiwan
independence.

The Mainland Affairs Council is responding to Xi's comments by accusing
Beijing of distorting historical narratives and using Sun's legacy to promote
unification with Taiwan.

It's also rejected "one country, two systems," saying Taiwan's future should
be decided by its 23-million people under the R-O-C's democratic
constitutional system.