Observers worldwide applaud designation of Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration

BEIJING -- China's national legislature adopted on Friday a decision to designate Oct 25 as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration.

Overseas observers believe that the designation, by underscoring the indisputable fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, will further consolidate the international community's adherence to the one-China principle.

The establishment of this commemorative day is a highly commendable move that honors history while aligning with the Chinese people's aspiration to draw strength from the past for progress in the new era, said Professor Emeritus Atsushi Koketsu of Japan's Yamaguchi University.

Taiwan's liberation from Japanese colonial rule resulted from the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, a fact firmly established by history, he said.

The decision solemnly demonstrates the Chinese people's unity and firm resolve to safeguard national sovereignty, said Ambassador Bilal Ahmad, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, at a Friday event in Geneva marking the establishment of the commemorative day.

Andisiwe Khumbaca, member of parliament of South Africa, said this commemoration day reminds people that national liberation is never a bestowed gift, but a hard-won achievement secured through unity, struggle, and heroic sacrifice. As a representative of South Africa's younger generation, she also reaffirmed her steadfast support for the one-China principle.

Sheradil Baktygulov, director of the Institute of World Politics of Kyrgyzstan, said the restoration of Taiwan was a significant outcome of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The commemoration day is supported by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, reflecting the common aspiration of the people, he said.

Currently, some external forces are attempting to exploit the Taiwan issue for their own political gain, said Serik Korzhumbayev, editor-in-chief of the Delovoy Kazakhstan newspaper. It must be understood that the Taiwan issue is by no means a matter of territorial dispute -- it is purely China's internal affair, he said.

Faruk Boric, president of the Association of Friendship between China and Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the establishment of the day helps safeguard the outcomes of World War II and the post-war international order.

He said that it reaffirms the fact that China has sovereignty over Taiwan, and further consolidates the broad international consensus on adhering to the one-China principle.

The day sends a clear message to the international community about the need to uphold historical truth, safeguard the post-World War II international order, and maintain global justice, said Tahir Mumtaz Awan, director of the Pakistan Institute of China Studies at the University of Sargodha.

Nadia Helmy, a political science professor at Egypt's Beni-Suef University, said that at this historic moment marking the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China, the establishment of the day serves as a commemoration of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and a tribute to the martyrs who fought against the invaders.

Any advocacy for "Taiwan independence" is a separatist scheme that not only contradicts historical facts but also lacks any legal foundation, said Lloyd Kuveya, assistant director of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China's territory since ancient times, a fact that deserves full respect and steadfast upholding, he said.

Wang Jiaqing, head of the Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China in France, said the commemoration day helps evoke shared memories among compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, strengthen national identity, and carry forward the great spirit of the War of Resistance.

This will encourage more Taiwan compatriots to deeply recognize that only national unity and rejuvenation can truly ensure Taiwan's prosperity and stability, he said.

Lian Jiehao, vice-president of the Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association, said a strong and unified China serves as a steadfast pillar for overseas Chinese to live and work in peace and contentment, and is a crucial force for maintaining regional and even global peace and stability.

The peaceful reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait represents an inevitable historical trend and a shared aspiration of all Chinese people, both at home and abroad, he said.