Passenger and freight ferry services in the Qiongzhou Strait resumed on Saturday night after the impact of Typhoon Maysak weakened.
Qiongzhou Strait, the waters between south China's island province of Hainan and Guangzhou Province, are crucial for the passage of goods and local produce from the Hainan Free Trade Zone into the mainland, as well as serving tourists traveling to the tropical island.
The services were suspended on Friday morning to brace for Typhoon Maysak, the 10th typhoon of the year, which made landfall on the coast of south China's Hainan Province on Friday evening.
As of 15:00 on Saturday, about 3,200 vehicles were waiting for service resumption on both sides of the strait.
In Haikou, capital of Hainan, a long line of trucks were seen waiting at the parking lot of Nangang Port, some loaded with fresh produce such as flower seedlings and fruits.
"I came here this afternoon. My truck is fully loaded with jackfruit, which will be spoiled in a couple of days," said Liang Zhenfang, a truck driver.
Port staff and volunteers set up a temporary supply distribution site, delivering food and bottled water to drivers and passengers waiting in the parking lot.
In addition, port dispatchers and maritime officers provided guidance for trucks to make sure they are safely loaded onto ships in an orderly manner.
"We have switched to an emergency dispatch mode and opened a special channel at the port for vehicles transporting key materials, such as fruits, vegetables, green agricultural products, and fresh agricultural products, so that they can board ships and depart as soon as possible," said ferry terminal manager Cai Shaojia.
Ferry services resume in Qiongzhou Strait as typhoon wanes
Japan must not deny the crimes it committed during WWII, still less deliberately cover up or distort history, said a Japanese lawyer.
Syunkichi Takayama, a Japanese lawyer, said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that Japan will not truly draw lessons from history without facing up to historical truth.
Japanese Kyodo News reported last month that the Imperial Japanese Army had drawn blood from prisoners of war and local Chinese residents for "research on battlefield blood transfusion techniques" during its invasion of China.
Takayama said that the Japanese society today still evades history and blocks truth dissemination. As a result, many historical facts are unknown to the public, which is the core of the current issue.
"This is unacceptable. Moreover, I believe the bigger problem lies in the current politics and the attitude of those responsible for the country's politics who refuse to face these issues head-on. At the same time, many citizens are not aware of this. If the vast majority of Japanese people could see the truth, they will surely think that it is absolutely unacceptable. The problem is that the truth has been blocked, and a deliberate disconnect has been created between historical truth and public perception, as certain people are attempting to distort history. I believe these two points are the crux of the problem," said Takayama.
Takayama pointed out that the Japanese parliament will keep pushing for military expansion and constitutional revision. He believes that there are worrying changes in Japan's current political situation, which should draw the attention of all sectors of society.
"The National Diet of Japan has become a Diet for war. The parliament is discussing how to advance war preparations. It is discussing how to establish a war system under the guise of maintaining Japan's peace and national security, and is pushing for constitutional amendments. The current parliament is just making one more mistake on top of another. If one doesn't see the abnormality of this situation, it would be truly astonishing," said the lawyer.
Takayama said that Japan must never repeat the history of launching aggressive wars. In the face of the current dangerous trends, he said the Japanese society should take the initiative to voice opposition to war and uphold peace.
"Therefore, there must be voices against such a dangerous trend, making it clear that things like that will never be tolerated. I believe that there will be such kind of voices from all over the world, but it is extremely important for Japan to do so first," he said.
Japanese lawyer warns against repeating historical mistakes
