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China commemorates 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration; attendees say restoration 'a testament to shared sacrifice, victory across Straits'

Global Times

By Liu Xin and Guo Yuandan Published: Oct 25, 2025 06:12 PM

A gathering was held in Beijing on Saturday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China on the first Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Taiwan compatriots and overseas Chinese reached by the Global Times said on Saturday that the mainland's commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration hold profound historical significance and only through national reunification can people in Taiwan island truly live with dignity as Chinese.

China's national legislature on Friday voted to designate October 25 as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration. The state will hold commemorative activities in various forms on this day, according to the decision adopted at the five-day session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), which opened on Friday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

On October 25, 1945, a ceremony to accept Japan's surrender in the Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers was held in Taipei. From that point on, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands returned to China's sovereign jurisdiction, according to Xinhua.

Wu Jung-yuan, chairman of the Labor Party in Taiwan, told the Global Times that as a Chinese born and raised in Taiwan island, he felt deeply moved while attending the 80th anniversary commemoration of Taiwan's restoration at the Great Hall of the People, reflecting on the passage of time with emotion and pride.

While delivering in a speech at the Great Hall of the people, Wu said that that national reunification is a historical inevitability in China's journey toward national rejuvenation, while the noise of "Taiwan independence" and foreign interference are but futile acts against history's tide.

"Historical inevitability requires active effort," he said, noting that "peaceful reunification best serves the interests of the Chinese nation, and we must firmly grasp the initiative to prevent provocations from dragging cross-Straits relations into a passive state," according to a copy of his speech sent to the Global Time.

"The establishment of Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration and the holding of commemorative events are closely tied to the current cross-Straits situation, the firm opposition to 'Taiwan independence,' and resistance to external interference. This carries profound significance in our times," Wu told the Global Times on Saturday.

He noted that Taiwan's restoration to the motherland represents historical justice and legal inevitability. "The history of Taiwan's restoration is a testament to how people across the Straits faced hardship together, shared sacrifice, and celebrated victory together. It is our shared historical legacy and the deepest emotional bond linking compatriots on both sides. It should also serve as the historical foundation when thinking about Taiwan's future," he said.

Wu added that since the "Taiwan independence" narrative seeks to deny this history, it is essential to enshrine the facts of Taiwan's restoration in law. "This not only affirms the truth but also forces separatists to face history. At a time of strained cross-Straits relations and rising external interference, it is even more necessary to establish the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration," he said.

Ding Kun-hua, the honorary president of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, who attended the Saturday event, told the Global Times that he and other attendees from Taiwan were deeply moved. In 1945, after years of struggle, China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression ended Japan's colonial rule and brought Taiwan back to the motherland—a historic moment of pride for the island.

But the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities attempted to distort history and promote the false notion of "Taiwan's undetermined status." People across Taiwan, however, remain committed to commemorating Taiwan's restoration, honoring the sacrifices of those on the mainland who made it possible, said Ding.

Cai Zhihe, head of the Philippines Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, who attended the event on Saturday, said he was deeply moved by the event, calling it "a powerful reminder of history that honors the martyrs and carries forward the spirit of resistance."

He noted that on October 25, 1945, Japan signed its surrender in Taipei, ending 50 years of colonial rule. "It marked a great victory in Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and deserves to be celebrated," he said.

Cai said that overseas Chinese have long supported the one-China principle through activities promoting unity and opposing separatism. He noted that his association recently held commemorations for both the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and Taiwan's restoration.

Chen Chien-ping, daughter of Chen Ming-chung, former head of the Chinatide Association in Taiwan island, who also attended the Saturday event in Beijing, said in China's 5,000-year history, prosperity and peace have been the norm, while the weakness of the late Qing era was only a brief exception. The victory in the War of Resistance and the restoration of Taiwan marked China's return to its historical trajectory and proved that the destinies of both sides of the Straits are inseparable, she said.

Over the 80 years since the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China has overcome hardship and steadily advanced toward national rejuvenation, said Chen.

Reflecting on her parents' generation, Chen noted that from armed and cultural resistance to young people in Taiwan joining the mainland's anti-Japanese movement, Taiwan was always part of China's struggle. "The victory that brought about Taiwan's restoration shows that loving Taiwan island and loving China are one and the same," she said.

Chen added that during Japan's colonial rule, people in the Taiwan island were treated as second-class citizens, and Japan's so-called "development" merely served its own imperial needs. "A strong China gives people in the Taiwan island the confidence to stand tall. Reunification will allow us to live with dignity as Chinese—this was the lifelong wish of my parents and many Taiwan patriots," Chen said.