By Wang Yingjin
This year marks the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China. On October 25, 1945, at Taipei’s Zhongshan Hall, the representative of the Chinese government solemnly proclaimed that, as of that day, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands had officially been restored to China, and all land, people and administration were put under Chinese sovereignty.
This marked the end of half a century of Japanese colonial occupation and the island’s return to the embrace of the motherland.
For China, Taiwan’s restoration extended beyond territorial recovery. It symbolized the Chinese nation’s rebirth after a century of humiliation inflicted by foreign aggression.
Beginning with the Opium War, China endured repeated incursions and territorial losses. The forced cession of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands following the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 left an indelible scar on the nation’s collective memory. Their return in 1945 not only erased the humiliation of the Treaty of Shimonoseki but also marked a significant step toward the restoration of national dignity.
Taiwan’s restoration was the fruit of the Chinese people’s unwavering struggle to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Since ancient times, Taiwan has been an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. In 1895, the Japanese government forced the defeated Qing government to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, placing them under colonial rule for half a century and compromising China’s southeastern maritime defenses. The restoration of Taiwan rectified this historical injustice and brought China’s territorial sovereignty back to its rightful state.
Taiwan’s restoration also strengthened Chinese national unity. Despite prolonged occupation, cross-strait bonds endured. During the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, more than 50,000 patriotic Taiwanese crossed the Strait to join their compatriots on the Chinese mainland in the fight against the invaders. The solidarity forged in this shared struggle became a powerful source of collective strength, contributing to national defense and postwar reconstruction.
From a global perspective, Taiwan’s restoration was an important outcome of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist war and an essential component of the postwar international order. It epitomized the triumph of the international anti-fascist united front and recognized China’s critical role as the main Eastern battlefield, where it fought for 14 years and made immense sacrifices in defense of human civilization and world peace. Allied support for Taiwan’s return to China acknowledged these sacrifices and reflected the anti-fascist coalition’s collective will.
The postwar international order legally mandated this restoration. Documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, both carrying legal force under international law, explicitly required Taiwan’s return to China. The principles enshrined in these documents were later institutionalized through the establishment of the United Nations, built on core notions of “sovereign equality” and “non-interference in internal affairs.” Taiwan’s restoration served as a tangible manifestation of these principles and the postwar consensus.
The restoration of Taiwan also confirmed at the international level the illegitimacy of colonial rule. Together, the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender form a complete legal framework in international law, stipulating that territories seized through aggression must be returned to their rightful owners. This marked a decisive break from the imperialist logic of “might makes right” and helped enshrine a new norm for resolving territorial issues in the postwar world.
Today, as the world undergoes profound changes unseen in a century and the situation across the Taiwan Strait grows increasingly complex, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration holds significant practical significance. It is essential to acknowledge the historical importance of this event in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and its lasting impact on the postwar international order.
On the one hand, such commemoration helps evoke the shared historical memory across the Taiwan Strait, strengthen national unity, and consolidate collective strength for national rejuvenation. On the other hand, it serves to reaffirm historical facts and counter the false narrative of the so-called “undetermined status of Taiwan” fabricated through U.S.-Taiwan collusion.
For the Chinese nation, Taiwan’s restoration stands as unequivocal historical evidence against the separatist fallacies of “Taiwan independence.” The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities’ distortion of textbooks, glorification of Japanese colonial rule, and promotion of “de-Sinicization” represent a deliberate departure from the historical truth of Taiwan’s restoration.
For the international community, Taiwan’s restoration exposes the absurdity of the so-called “undetermined status” narrative. Foundational international legal instruments such as the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation clearly affirm China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. Taiwan’s return to China in 1945 is an undeniable historical fact. Any attempt to challenge this fact not only denies the victory of World War II but also undermines the integrity of the postwar international order.
(Wang Yingjin is the director of the cross-Strait relations research center of the Renmin University of China.)
