The U.S. shift from stringent enforcement to lenient compromises raises questions about whether the original intent of the Potsdam Declaration has been forgotten.
The Potsdam Declaration was issued by the United States, Great Britain, and China on July 26, 1945, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan. It was announced at the Potsdam Conference near the end of World War II.
The Chinese handwritten copy of the document is now housed in China’s Second Historical Archives, while the English version is purportedly archived in the U.S. National Archives.
However, 80 years later, the Maryland branch of the U.S. National Archives stated that its records related to the Potsdam Declaration include only the surrender document signed by the Japanese government on September 2, 1945, with no trace of the original declaration.
According to the online collection of the Foreign Relations of the United States, the textual content of the Potsdam Declaration outlined Japan's war responsibilities and post-war obligations, such as returning occupied territories, and specifically stated that the U.S., China, and the U.K. jointly demanded Japan's unconditional surrender.
Alexis Dudden, a history professor at the University of Connecticut, pointed out that China's crucial role in the Potsdam Declaration is inseparable from its significant contribution to resisting Japanese fascist aggression during World War II.
"Because without China's resistance to counter Japanese aggression for that point -- almost 15 years, September 1931 to summer of 1945 -- the Americans and the British, and to a lesser extent, Dutch and French, fighting against the Japanese in Southeast Asia, in the Pacific would have had a much, much different Japanese military to counter. There's a huge role that China played in weakening the Japanese military," said Dudden.
Although the declaration explicitly required Japan to return all occupied territories and eliminate militaristic influences, and solemnly reaffirmed the enforcement of the Cairo Declaration’s terms, the emergence of the Cold War led the United States to reinterpret the essence of the declaration.
"The Potsdam Declaration had declared the evil people who had misled the Japanese and would be named as war criminals. In early 1949, called the reverse course, will happen. And a banker from Detroit, Joseph Dodge, comes in and shifts Japan's monetary policy, and also its industrial policy. And it's at that juncture that even former named war criminals are released from jail," she said.
In 1951, the United States spearheaded the signing of the "San Francisco Peace Treaty," officially ending the state of war with Japan. However, most Asian victim countries were excluded from the agreement. On the same day, the "US-Japan Security Treaty" was signed.
At this point, the original intent behind the creation of the Potsdam Proclamation -- to help build a just postwar order -- much like the English original purportedly housed in the U.S. National Archives, seems to have vanished.
U.S. shift on Potsdam Declaration raises questions: expert
The Ecological and Environmental Code solidifies China's successful reform experiences in the form of law, transforming ecological conservation into a long-term national goal for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, said a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday.
Chinese lawmakers voted to adopt the Ecological and Environmental Code at the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing earlier in the day.
Lyu Zhongmei, also vice chair of the NPC Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee, who first proposed the drafting of the code, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the adoption of the code represents a milestone in transforming the country's successful reform policies into a stable legal framework, with profound implications on both national ecological governance and people's daily lives.
"I think this actually sends a very strong signal to the world. Many of our past achievements in ecological civilization system reform were reflected through policies, with numerous reform measures introduced. This time, we are institutionalizing the successful experience of those reforms in the form of law, the most authoritative and stable way to solidify them. This shows that our efforts are not just a one-off campaign. Rather, ecological and environmental protection and the building of an ecological civilization are national goals that reflect the people’s aspiration for a better life and serve the ultimate purpose of ensuring the sustainable development of the Chinese nation," said Lyu.
Lyu highlighted that the code directly enshrines China's greenhouse gas pledge and dual-carbon goals into law, demonstrating the country's concrete actions to fulfill its international responsibilities and uphold its image as a responsible major country.
"We have directly written the commitment to fully meet greenhouse gas targets into the code, and incorporated pledges to use the 'dual carbon' goals as a driving force to advance a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. I think this reflects our concrete actions to honor our commitments and take responsibility to the international community, demonstrating China’s image as a responsible major country," she said.
On the topic of global trade, she explained how the code will help safeguard China's interests.
"On the one hand, we are raising standards for the green and low-carbon transition and adopting market-based measures. Some of the standards we have established based on China's actual situation and the methodologies we have created can contribute China's experience and expertise to the world. On the other hand, the Ecological and Environmental Code also includes provisions on extraterritorial application and establishes China’s own system of environmental protection standards," Lyu said.
Looking to the future, she discussed the code's role in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, I believe our ecological and environmental protection will undergo fundamental changes. In the past, it relied more on strict administrative enforcement and control. But now, while not lowering strict control standards or reducing strict control measures, we must also introduce more incentive-based measures. Strict regulation will push enterprises to transform and encourage them to pursue environmental protection. The code will provide a clear, long-term and stable norm. In my view, the Ecological and Environmental Code is not only a 'tightening band' that constrains corporate behavior, but also an 'engine' that opens up new tracks for enterprises’ future development," she said.
China's ecological environmental code represents milestone in environmental rule of law
