CHONGQING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- A symposium on the history of the Chinese nation's war of resistance against Japanese aggression and carrying on its indomitable spirit was held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Nearly 200 individuals from across the Taiwan Strait, including retired generals, experts, scholars, teachers and students, attended the symposium.
It was held in conjunction with China commemorating the 78th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
With a focus on the Cairo Conference and the post-war order, the symposium discussed the historical relevance of the war as well as its contribution to the world, highlighting the importance of the Cairo Declaration in the establishment of the post-war international order and realizing Taiwan's return to the motherland.
It was the first complete victory won by the Chinese people in their resistance against foreign aggression in modern times, and it came as a result of the concerted efforts of all troops and civilians in China, including fellow Chinese in Taiwan, said Pan Xianzhang, vice director of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
The victory resolved, de jure and de facto, the issues of Taiwan returning to the motherland and of China having sovereignty over Taiwan, which is a significant component of the post-war international order, especially the order in the Asia-Pacific region, Pan added.
Although the two sides across the Taiwan Strait have yet to be reunified, China's sovereignty and territorial integrity have remained undivided since 1949, Pan said, noting that the facts that China has sovereignty over Taiwan and that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China have never changed. "This is the status quo across the strait, which is acknowledged by the international community and must not be distorted or denied."
The unity of the entire Chinese nation to defend against enemies was the most important reason behind the victory in the resistance war, and this historical experience should be firmly remembered, especially when the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, said Wang Jianlang, head of the society on the history of China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression.
The history of the resistance war is a valuable asset of the Chinese nation and also an important part of the history of the World Anti-Fascist War, said Xia Chuntao, head of the Institute of Modern History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "It is both our responsibility and obligation to ensure that this significant chapter of history is well-known to the younger generation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."
Huang Bing-lin, president of the Taiwan-based association for the commemoration of the Chinese nation's war of resistance against Japanese aggression, pointed out that during the war, the Chinese troops and civilians carried on the fight to the end and secured the victory that put an end to China's century of humiliation and elevated the country's international standing.
They should be remembered by the Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, he said.
Chen Ting-chung, honorary president of the association, emphasized that the spirit of resisting aggression is a precious asset of the Chinese nation and should be passed down through generations.
The symposium was co-hosted by the aforementioned society and association. ■
