Editor's note: Zheng Yuli, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

History is the best textbook and the most steadfast book of revelation. The Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration is not only an important occasion to look back on the Chinese nation's history of resistance but also a vital opportunity for compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to revisit shared memories and consolidate national consensus.

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. Taiwan's restoration constitutes an important part of the great victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. It stands as a glorious testament to the Chinese nation's efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and uphold national dignity and powerfully corroborates the historical conclusion and legal fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The profound significance of Taiwan's restoration extends far beyond the restoration of territorial integrity. It has forged a collective memory in which compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same bloodline.

In modern times, Taiwan suffered bitterly under colonial oppression. Ever since Taiwan was ceded under the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, compatriots in Taiwan have waged unceasing anti‑colonial resistance, with armed uprisings breaking out one after another.

At the time of national peril, large numbers of patriotic young people from Taiwan traveled across the Strait to the mainland. They formed organizations to join the tide of resistance to Japanese aggression, fought side by side with military and civilian personnel on the mainland to meet the national crisis, and ultimately secured victory and recovered their homeland.

International legal documents, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, explicitly stipulated the return of Taiwan to China, laying solid legal foundation for this historical achievement. This extraordinary era of jointly resisting foreign aggression and defending the motherland has evolved into an indissoluble spiritual bond linking the two sides of the Strait. It constitutes a shared national asset for all Chinese sons and daughters. Shared historical memory serves as the bedrock for cross-Strait relations and must not be distorted or severed.

This collective memory, rooted in the shared bloodline of common culture and ethnicity and forged in the course of jointly resisting foreign aggression, constitutes the core cornerstone of identity for compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. It also serves as the spiritual underpinning for the steady and sound development of cross‑Strait relations.

At present, the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces keep manipulating historical nihilism and deliberately distorting the historical origins linking the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in their vain attempts to create a "historical rupture across the Taiwan Strait" and sever the ties between Taiwan and the motherland at the root.

Such separatist acts essentially represent an outright denial of the Chinese nation's achievements in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, a desecration of revolutionary martyrs, and a brutal trampling upon the shared historical memory and national sentiments of compatriots on both sides of the Strait.

Historical facts are irrefutable. Any separatist scheme runs counter to the trend of history and the great cause of the nation and is doomed to total failure. To remember history is to enlighten the present and strive toward the future.

The one-China principle serves as the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. Firmly opposing "Taiwan independence" separatist acts holds the key to safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and protecting the well-being of compatriots on both sides.

In recent years, people-to-people exchanges across the Taiwan Strait have grown increasingly close, economic and trade cooperation has kept deepening, and cultural exchanges have yielded diverse outcomes. Emotional bonds among compatriots have become ever tighter.

To preserve the shared historical memory of Taiwan's restoration is to uphold the nation's cultural roots and build consensus for reunification, enabling compatriots on both sides to strengthen identity and deepen integration.

Learn from the past to foresee the future, and forge ahead without cease. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. Achieving the complete reunification of the motherland is an inevitable requirement for national rejuvenation and the shared aspiration of all Chinese people.

Standing at this new historical juncture, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should draw lessons from history. We should cherish our shared history, carry forward national sentiments, resolutely reject separatist words and deeds, and further advance cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.

We shall narrow psychological distance through integrated development and foster shared interests through mutual support. Drawing confidence from history and driven by shared aspirations, we will stand side by side and meet each other halfway. We will jointly safeguard tranquility across the Taiwan Strait, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and strive to write a brand‑new chapter for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

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