BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing on Wednesday.

Compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same Chinese nation, Xi said. The over-5,000-year history of the Chinese nation saw successive generations of ancestors move and settle down in Taiwan and people from across the Strait fight side by side to recover the island from foreign invaders, he said.

People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese, Xi said. "There are no knots that cannot be untied, no issues that cannot be discussed, and no force that can separate us," he said.

The distance of the Strait cannot sever the bond of kinship between compatriots from across the Strait, Xi said.

He said that the difference in systems does not alter the reality that both sides of the Strait belong to one China, and external interference cannot hold back the historical trend of national reunification.

Calling youth "the hope of the country and the future of the nation," Xi encouraged young people from both sides of the Strait to aspire to become more proud, confident, and assured in their identity as Chinese people, work together for the long-term prosperity of the Chinese nation, and continue to create new glory of the nation.

People on both sides of the Strait share the same bloodline, culture and history as well as the same responsibility for the nation and the same aspiration for the future, Xi said. He stressed grasping the cross-Strait situation from the perspective of the overall interests and long-term development of the Chinese nation.

Xi underscored the importance of guarding the common home of the Chinese nation resolutely.

Compatriots on both sides of the Strait should resolutely oppose separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan independence" and foreign interference, Xi said, calling for jointly pursuing the bright future of peaceful reunification.

It is a shared aspiration of compatriots across the Strait for a peaceful home and a harmonious family. Therefore, it is imperative to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, said Xi.

He underlined the crucial importance of upholding the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, and having the common understanding that both sides of the Strait belong to one country and one nation.

Xi also stressed the need to work together for the long-term well-being of the Chinese nation.

Describing this goal as grand yet simple, Xi said it is to enable compatriots on both sides of the Strait to realize their aspirations for a good life, ensure a better life for all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, and jointly realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

"We always bear in mind the well-being of Taiwan compatriots," he said, noting that the mainland has made solid efforts to ensure that Taiwan compatriots enjoy more interests, improve their well-being and have a better future.

Xi highligted the effort to foster a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, stressing that compatriots across the Strait have always been members of one family who are supposed to interact frequently and therefore develop closer relationship. He vowed more robust measures to promote cross-Strait exchanges, interaction and integration.

Xi called on compatriots on both sides of the Strait to strengthen their confidence in Chinese culture, consciously become its guardians, inheritors, and promoters, and enhance the sense of belonging, identity, and honor of the Chinese nation.

Furthermore, he emphasized the importance to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The wheels of history are rolling on toward the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, said Xi, stressing that, eventually it will be accomplished through the successive efforts of compatriots from both sides of the Strait.

He expressed grief over the loss of lives in the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that jolted waters off the coast of Hualien on April 3, and extended his sympathies to those affected by the disaster.

Ma said that upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" are the common political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

People on both sides of the Strait belong to the same Chinese nation, and they should deepen exchanges and cooperation, jointly carry forward the Chinese culture, improve the well-being of compatriots on both sides, and work together for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Ma said.

Representatives of young people from Taiwan shared their ideas at the event.

Wang Huning and Cai Qi attended the meeting.