Ma pays tribute to war of resistance martyrs

Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, said that China's resistance war against Japanese aggression restrained the main force of the Japanese army on the eastern battlefield, which was a great contribution to the World Anti-Fascist War.

He made the remark on Tuesday afternoon while visiting the Chongqing Historic Sites Museum of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the latest venue in memory of the resistance war that he visited during his 12-day trip to the Chinese mainland, which started on March 27.

Ma and his delegation have visited multiple places closely related to the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), including the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Jiangsu province, a memorial hall in Hunan province dedicated to military officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the resistance war and the historic site of a ceremony to accept the surrender of Japanese invaders, also in Hunan.

On Tuesday morning, Ma led young students from Taiwan to visit a cemetery in Chongqing dedicated to General Zhang Zizhong, who was killed during China's resistance war against Japanese aggression. The general died in battle in 1940, at the age of 49, and was buried at the cemetery.

Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, fell on Wednesday.

In front of Zhang's tomb, Ma observed a moment of silence and bowed three times, together with young people from Taiwan, and then laid flowers to the fallen hero and other martyrs.

While visiting the historic sites museum in the afternoon, Ma said the Cairo Conference held in 1943 was extremely important, and cited stipulations from the Cairo Declaration that all Chinese territories seized by Japan should be returned to China.

The declaration set goals for the postwar order, stating that all forcibly acquired Chinese territories, including Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, be returned to China.

On Monday, Ma visited the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, which is a comprehensive museum of history and art.

Ma, who was deeply impressed by the ancient Chinese cultural relics on display at the museum's exhibition hall, learned about the music and dance of local people in ancient times, their burial rituals and living conditions as well as the Three Gorges Dam project.

Strengthening exchanges is crucial to promoting peaceful development across the Taiwan Straits, Ma said while meeting on Monday morning with Yuan Jiajun, secretary of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Municipal Committee.

Ma said he appreciates the hospitality of Chongqing and the city's care for Taiwan businesspeople and enterprises. He said he was deeply impressed by Chongqing's remarkable achievements in development, environment and advanced urban planning concepts.

Chongqing is speeding up its modernization, providing a broader space for cross-Straits exchanges and investment and offering opportunities to a vast number of Taiwan businesspeople and enterprises, he added.

Ma and his delegation left on Wednesday for Shanghai, the last stop of their mainland visit.

Xinhua contributed to this story.