China’s national legislature on Friday voted to designate October 25 as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration. The decision was adopted at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
In 1945, all Chinese, including compatriots in Taiwan, achieved the great victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which brought about Taiwan’s restoration to the motherland, Xinhua reported.
The restoration of Taiwan is an important outcome of the War of Resistance and a compelling proof of the Chinese government’s recovery of sovereignty over Taiwan, according to the decision.
It is also an important part of the historical fact and legal chain that Taiwan is an integral part of China, and a shared glory and national memory for compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, it added.
The decision was made in accordance with the Constitution, aiming to safeguard the outcomes of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the post-war international order, to demonstrate the firm will to uphold the one-China principle and defend national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and to strengthen the shared national memory of compatriots on both sides, it said.
When explaining the draft decision to the NPC Standing Committee, Shen Chunyao, director of the NPC Standing Committee’s Legislative Affairs Commission, noted that on October 25, 1945, the 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.
In recent years, NPC deputies, national political advisors and compatriots from Taiwan have repeatedly proposed the establishment of a commemoration day of Taiwan’s restoration and holding commemorative events, Shen said.
Establishing the commemoration day and holding commemorative activities at the national level will help honor the indisputable fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, consolidate the international community’s commitment to the one-China principle, urge compatriots on both sides of the Straits to inherit and promote the spirit forged in the War of Resistance, and motivate all Chinese to strive together for national reunification and national rejuvenation, he said.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Friday that the NPC Standing Committee had, in accordance with the Constitution, decided to designate October 25 as Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration through legal means, and stipulated that the state will hold commemorative activities in various forms.
He noted that this solemn decision fully reflects the shared aspiration and collective will of all Chinese people, including compatriots in Taiwan. It is a powerful step to uphold the historical fact and national pride of Taiwan’s restoration and return to the motherland.
The restoration of Taiwan is a solemn testament to the Chinese nation’s recovery of its lost territory and defense of its sovereignty after half a century of struggle. Establishing a national day to commemorate the event holds profound historical significance and carries both institutional and practical strategic value, Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University, told the Global Times.
The move is an important institutional measure to strengthen national historical memory and reinforce awareness of sovereignty. By building broad social consensus, it embeds the historical fact, legal foundation, and political logic of Taiwan’s restoration to China into public consciousness and reaffirms the historical truth that Taiwan has always been part of China, said Zhu.
Through national commemoration, the state’s expression of sovereignty becomes a visible and enduring public ritual for Chinese people across the Straits and overseas, fostering a deeper collective understanding of territorial integrity and strengthening the foundation for national reunification, said the expert.
The establishment of the commemoration day is of great significance—both as a reaffirmation of historical truth and as a response to current political realities. Since taking office, the DPP authorities, especially under Lai Ching-te, have attempted to deny Taiwan’s return to China by downplaying the event, Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Friday.
Establishing the commemoration at the national level is also a resolute response to the DPP’s attempts to distort history and undermine the one-China principle as well as a response to counter false narratives such as the so-called “undetermined status of Taiwan,” said Zheng.
Taiwan compatriots will be invited to a grand gathering marking the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China, which will be held around October 25 on the mainland, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday, according to Xinhua.
