An international academic symposium opened in Beijing on Sunday, bringing together nearly 100 experts and scholars to examine the history of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and Taiwan's restoration to China from a global perspective.
The two-day event is being hosted by Peking University and attended by historians from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as countries such as the United States, Britain and Japan.
He Guangcai, chair of the Peking University Council, said in his opening speech that the symposium is expected to help compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to remember the history of joint resistance against Japanese aggression, strengthen unity and make unremitting efforts to promote the great cause of national reunification.
Peking University will continue to support research in the field, promote the preservation and digitization of historical materials, and enhance international academic exchanges to contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, he said.
Zhang Baijia, a researcher at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in a keynote speech that China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression was a long, arduous struggle of profound historical significance and a righteous war against invaders, noting that "as historians,...we should not only celebrate our nation's victory but also record the suffering endured by the Chinese people."
Lu Fang-sang, a research fellow at the Institute of Modern History of Academia Sinica in Taiwan, said that China's war of resistance began earlier and lasted longer than any other major theater of World War II, and that this war transformed Chinese society profoundly.
Compared to WWII history in Europe, China's war of resistance had long been sidelined in global historiography, and that it is now being examined from a global perspective is a positive development, Lu said, adding that both sides across the Strait should strengthen sharing of historical materials and cooperation in this regard.
The symposium features 20 panel sessions and one roundtable discussion on topics such as the global significance of China's war of resistance, wartime international cooperation, Taiwan's restoration, and Taiwan's resistance movements against Japanese invaders.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China.
Cover Image: Xinhua
