Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Japan to learn from history in order to earn respect and avoid straying again onto the wrong path, speaking on Friday, the 80th anniversary of Japan’s unconditional surrender in World War II.
Mr. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made these remarks during a press conference following the 10th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. On this occasion, he clarified China’s position regarding historical issues.
“I would also like to reiterate China’s position on this particular day,” Wang stated, noting that 80 years ago, Japan was defeated and accepted the Potsdam Proclamation, thereby announcing its unconditional surrender.
The war of aggression waged by Japanese militarists caused immense suffering to the people of China and other Asian countries, and the Japanese people themselves also suffered deeply, he noted.
“A series of international instruments, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, clearly established Japan’s responsibility for the war and urged Japan to return the territories it had stolen from China, including Taiwan,” Wang said, adding that this was the indisputable outcome of the victory in the global anti-fascist war and a key component of the postwar international order.
However, even today, certain forces in Japan continue to glorify and deny their invasion, distort and fabricate history, and even attempt to rehabilitate the names of war criminals, Wang pointed out.
According to Wang, these actions are contemptible and counterproductive, and they challenge the UN Charter, the postwar international order, human conscience, and the peoples of all victorious nations.
“Only by facing history can one earn respect; only by learning from history can one explore a better future; only by remembering the past can one avoid straying again onto the wrong path. We urge Japan to make the right choice,” Wang added. (Source: Xinhua / Photo: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) #80YearsofVictory