HONG KONG, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of issuing "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" was held Tuesday in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Carrie Lam, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR Wang Zhimin, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Chen Yuanfeng, Chairman of Taiwan's New Party Yok Mu-ming and other officials attended the ceremony.

On New Year's Day of 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, issued "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan," stating major policies to realize peaceful reunification of the motherland.

Tung said that 40 years of development in cross-Strait relations had proved that Taiwan and compatriots in Taiwan could have a bright future only under good cross-Strait relations.

Advancing, elevating and achieving closer and better cross-Strait relations were always the mainstream public opinion of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, he said.

After decades of efforts, we are closer than ever to the goal of national rejuvenation and we are also more confident and more capable of realizing national rejuvenation and reunification, said Tung.

Lam said that Hong Kong SAR served as an important participant and promoter for cross-Strait exchanges. The practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong SAR had proved it was the best institutional arrangement for the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong after its return to the motherland.

The chief executive said that Hong Kong would continue to be a pioneer in practicing "one country, two systems" to make new contributions to the great cause of national reunification and rejuvenation.

Chen said that upholding the one-China policy and firmly opposing "Taiwan independence" was the important prerequisite for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. The mainland's reform and opening-up and modernization provided solid safeguard for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

The shared blood, history and culture had always been an inexhaustible driving force for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, Chen said, noting that national rejuvenation and reunification was the common aspiration of all sons and daughters of the Chinese nation.

Yok said that it was of great significance to commemorate the 40th anniversary of issuing "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan." It had been proved over the past 40 years that development would be difficult in any field without a peaceful environment.

In the past 40 years, it was because of peace that the mainland and Taiwan had gone through relations from peaceful exchanges to peaceful development, and would eventually reach the goal of peaceful reunification in the future, he said.

Photos were also shown at the ceremony to showcase major development and achievements of the cross-Strait relations since the "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" was issued.

The ceremony was held by Hong Kong Association for Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China with the attendance of more than 700 guests.