Commentary: History brooks no denial, distortion by Taiwan's Lai

BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- On Oct. 25, 1945, Taiwan was formally returned to China, ending 50 years of colonial rule by Japan. Such a special day should always be remembered by all Chinese people.

Taiwan's return on this day was the result of the victory of the Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, in their war against Japanese aggression. It underscores the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.

However, Lai Ching-te, leader of the Taiwan region, went to Kinmen on Friday to commemorate a battle there between the Kuomintang troops and the People's Liberation Army in 1949, claiming that he would "not yield an inch of ground." Clearly, out of apparently political calculations, he is deliberately downplaying the history of Taiwan's liberation from Japanese occupation and highlighting confrontation across the Taiwan Strait.

Since Lai from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came into office in May this year, he has never once mentioned the history of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945) and the return of Taiwan to the motherland. Instead, he has glorified colonial rule by the Netherlands and Japan in history, confusing the public and poisoning the young generation.

Lai Ching-te and the DPP have blatantly obliterated and distorted history to construct a fragmented and paradoxical historical view of "Taiwan independence" for the purpose of trying to split the country. His naked separatist words and actions of "Taiwan independence" betray history, and are highly confrontational and provocative, seriously undermining cross-Strait relations and endangering peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. This fact has a sound basis in history and jurisprudence. In 1894, Japan launched a war of aggression against China, and forced the defeated Qing government to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan the following year.

The Cairo Declaration, issued by China, the United States and the United Kingdom on Dec. 1, 1943, stated that it was the purpose of the three allies that all the territories Japan had stolen from China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, should be restored to China. The Potsdam Proclamation was signed by China, the United States and the United Kingdom on July 26, 1945, and subsequently recognized by the Soviet Union. It reiterated: "The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out."

In September of the same year, Japan signed the instrument of surrender, in which it promised that it would faithfully fulfill the obligations laid down in the Potsdam Proclamation. On Oct. 25, 1945, the Chinese government announced that it was resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan, and the ceremony to accept Japan's surrender in Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers was held in Taibei (Taipei). From that point forward, China had recovered Taiwan de jure and de facto through a host of documents with international legal effect.

People in Taiwan celebrated joyfully the return to the motherland in 1945. Yet, today, the Lai-led authorities of Taiwan downplayed and denied the historic significance of the event, which constitutes a denial of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and victory in the world's anti-fascist war. It is a grave blasphemy against the tremendous national sacrifice of compatriots on both sides of the Strait.

History is not to be tampered with or forgotten. No matter what the DPP authorities say or do, the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China will not change, and the historic trend that the two sides of the Strait will and must be reunified will never be reversed.