More than 100 participants from various sectors of Taiwan society called for fostering a correct view of history and contributing to peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Straits at a seminar marking the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China on Wednesday.
This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
In 1895, after suffering defeat in a war with Japan, the Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan and Penghu Islands. Fifty years later, the Chinese people overcame Japanese aggression during World War II, ending Japan’s colonial rule in Taiwan and restoring the island to the motherland.
At the seminar, Andrew Hsia, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT), said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have been promoting a secessionist historical narrative while at the same time imposing restrictions on cross-Straits exchanges.
Hsia called for launching more events with cross-Straits themes, such as commemorations of Taiwan’s restoration, to help ordinary people gain a more accurate understanding of cross-Straits relations and deepen their affection for the Chinese nation.
Wu Cheng-tien, chairman of the New Party, emphasized that people across Taiwan celebrated the island’s restoration to China in 1945, noting that the term “Taiwan’s restoration” signifies the victory of the Chinese nation – in sharp contrast to the phrase “the end of the war,” repeatedly used by the DPP authorities.
Gathering to commemorate Taiwan’s restoration at a time when the DPP authorities attempt to replace the term with “the end of the war” carries profound historical significance, said Wang Cho-chung, president of Taiwan-based Meihua Media, calling on the public to always remember this historic event.
Also on Wednesday evening, the Foundation of Chinese Culture for Sustainable Development hosted a poetry recital to mark the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration at Taipei Zhongshan Hall.
