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
