2nd LD-Writethru: China marks 70th anniversary of Taiwan recovery from Japanese occupation

A gathering commemorating the 70th anniversary of the recovery of sovereignty over Taiwan from 50-year Japanese occupation was held here at the Great Hall of the People on Friday.

Taiwan's return to the motherland was achieved after the victory in the war against Japanese aggression which had been won with efforts of all Chinese people including the Taiwan compatriots, said top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng at the commemorating ceremony.

"China's sovereignty and territorial integrity has not been severed and the fact that the two sides belong to one China has not changed," said Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Yu noted that it is the holy mission of all Chinese to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity and ensure that Taiwan's status as a part of China's territory is not changed.

Compatriots across the Taiwan Strait are resolute and capable of thwarting all separatist attempts for "Taiwan independence," maintaining cross-Strait peace, and boosting further development of ties, he said.

Yu stressed the significance of adhering to the path of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

The political basis of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" and recognition of the fact that the two sides belong to one and the same China were hailed by Yu as "the most important."

Yu called on people from both sides to oppose all words and deeds that hamper the political basis so as to prevent loosing the hard-won cross-Strait peace and what has been achieved through peaceful development of ties.

In 1895, when China was defeated in the first Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government was forced to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan and its affiliated islands to Japan.

In 1945, upon the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, China recovered territory occupied by Japan, including Taiwan.

The victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the recovery of sovereignty over Taiwan "re-established China as a major country in the world and opened up bright prospects for the great renewal of the Chinese nation," Yu said.

"Compatriots across the Strait are of one family who had experienced ordeals together and have shared historical memory," he said, adding that Taiwan compatriots' special historical mishap is "a shared historical trauma" of compatriots across the Strait.

"In face of some complex contradictions and differences, we are willing to explore ways to solve them on the basis of the principle of 'one China' and through equal consultations," he added.

Yu said the mainland is willing to prioritize Taiwan people in sharing its opportunities in development, do things for them and jointly create bright future.

In another development, an exhibition about the history of people in Taiwan resisting Japanese aggression was opened on Friday in the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War Museum.

Displaying 355 historical pictures and 416 relics, the exhibition shows the tragic and heroic history. WWII veterans and representatives from Taiwan attended the opening ceremony. Endi