People from Taiwan welcome ratification of Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration

The ratification of the decision on Taiwan's restoration to China has been welcomed by people from Taiwan, who believe that this legislative effort upholds historical facts.

China's national legislature on Friday voted to designate Oct 25 as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration. The decision was adopted at the five-day session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), which opened on Friday.

A meeting commemorating the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China was held in Beijing on Saturday, whose participants included prominent figures from the Chines island province.

"Our Chinese government must make the historical fact a part of the national governance system under the national legal framework and in accordance with the law. This is a crucial battle fought on both the legal and historical fronts," said Wu Jung-yuan, chairman of the Labor Party in Taiwan.

In 1895, the Qing government, having been defeated in a war initiated by Japan against China, was forced to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan.

In 1945, all Chinese, including compatriots in Taiwan, achieved the great victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which restored Taiwan to its motherland.

"Some in Taiwan refuse to recognize Taiwan's restoration, and even say that Taiwan people under Japanese colonial rule back then were Japanese. They are so preposterous and perverse. They are humiliating the martyrs and heroes who fought the anti-aggression war. I myself came from a family whose members fought the war, so I feel it's an insult to the dignity of myself, my ancestors and our common elder generation. The restoration of Taiwan eventually came after the loss of over 30 million of our fellow countrymen in that war. If we deny that, we really owe a huge debt to the martyrs and heroes. I can see why the mainland has ratified the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration," said Yuann Jeu-jenq, professor at the Taiwan University.

During Japan's occupation, people in Taiwan suffered severe exploitation and repression. The Japanese colonial authorities plundered resources and committed countless atrocities. In defiance, patriots in Taiwan such as Qiu Fengjia, Tang Jingsong, Liu Yongfu and Li Yingchen led uprisings and armed struggles against Japanese rule.

Descendants of the patriots in Taiwan who fought against Japanese aggression said they expect to achieve national unification.

"People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same ancestry and origin, so reunification of China is inevitable and a historical imperative. I wish we can achieve reunification at an early date so that our country's century-old dream can come true," said Algernon Yau, grandson of Qiu Fengjia.

People from Taiwan welcome ratification of Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration

Serbian officials and scholars expect that President Aleksandar Vucic's visit to China will further cement the ironclad friendship between the two countries and open up new avenues for cooperation.

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Vucic arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a state visit to China from May 24 to 28. During the visit, the two heads of state will exchange views on bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.

As the first European country that has agreed to jointly build a community with a shared future for the new era with China, Serbia is an important partner for China in Southeast Europe. According to high-level Serbian officials, the partnership could expand even further.

"I think that the most important one, apart [from] the infrastructure, will be scientific cooperation and widening the existing cooperation in each field, from infrastructure to culture. Our anchored friendship could become a role model for everyone else," said Marina Ragus, deputy speaker of Serbia's National Assembly.

Bojan Lalic, director of the Belt and Road Institute in Belgrade, anticipates that actions following the two presidents' discussions can bring stability to Serbia's economic and industrial development.

"We expect President Vucic and President Xi to have fruitful discussions, but also some following steps that will bring stability to our economy, to our industry. I truly believe that when speaking about the future, we are speaking about young people, (which) means education, research, science -- those are fields that I believe are fundamental for our exchange, for our future cooperation, and for our win-win achievements and success," said Lalic.

Ljubodrag Savic, a professor at the Faculty of Economy of the University of Belgrade, highlighted the importance of growing trade between the two countries. Since the signing of a bilateral free trade agreement in 2023, exports from Serbia to China nearly doubled, from 1.2 billion U.S dollars the year the agreement was signed to 2 billion U.S. dollars in 2025.

"China treats all countries equally, regardless of their size or so-called importance, maintaining friendly relations with countries around the world. The free trade agreement signed between Serbia and China grants Serbia preferential treatment. Most Serbian products can be exported to China almost duty-free. China is a truly valuable friend to Serbia," said the professor.

Serbian experts predict fruitful outcomes from Vucic's visit to China