Chinese president declares 2025 as ‘80th anniversary of Taiwan restoration to China’

During the speech, Xi made reference to his previous visit to the 70th anniversary and meeting 18 representatives of Russian veterans in 2015.

“Eighty years ago, the forces of justice around the world, including China and the Soviet Union, united in courageous battles against their common foes and defeated the overbearing fascist powers,” he said.

“Eighty years later today, however, unilateralism, hegemonism, bullying and coercive practices are severely undermining our world.

“Again, humankind has come to a crossroads of unity or division, dialogue or confrontation, win-win cooperation or zero-sum games.

“We must learn from history, especially the hard lessons of the Second World War. We must draw wisdom and strength from the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and resolutely resist all forms of hegemonism and power politics. We must work together to build a brighter future for humanity.”

During the speech, Xi also quoted the works of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy and applauded the efforts of Communist Party of China intelligence agent Yan Baohang (who previously provided the Soviet Union with intelligence) and the Soviet Volunteer Group.

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In addition, he declared that China and the Soviet Union were the principal theatres of that war in Asia and Europe, as well as the mainstay of resistance against Japanese militarism and German Nazism.

“Any attempt to distort the historical truth of WWII, deny its victorious outcome, or defame the historic contribution of China and the Soviet Union is doomed to fail. Neither of our two nations will tolerate any act to reverse the course of history – nor will the people of the whole world.

“We must uphold a correct historical perspective on WWII. China and the Soviet Union were the principal theatres of that war in Asia and Europe respectively.

“The two countries served as the mainstay of resistance against Japanese militarism and German Nazism, making pivotal contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began the earliest and lasted the longest.

“United as one under the banner of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, which was advocated and established by the CPC, the Chinese people launched a relentless struggle against and defeated the brutal Japanese militarists. With immense sacrifice, they carved out an immortal epic of heroic resistance and ultimate victory against Japanese aggression.

“In the European theatre, the Soviet Red Army advanced like an iron tide with unwavering fortitude and valour, crushed Nazi Germany’s ambitions and liberated millions from its brutal occupation, writing an epic of victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

“This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. Taiwan’s restoration to China is a victorious outcome of WWII and an integral part of the postwar international order. A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, have all affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. The historical and legal fact therein brooks no challenge.

“And the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 brooks no challenge. No matter how the situation on the Taiwan island evolves or what troubles external forces may make, the historical trend toward China’s ultimate and inevitable reunification is unstoppable.

“China and Russia have all along firmly supported each other on issues bearing on our respective core interests or major concerns. Russia has reiterated on many occasions that it strictly adheres to the one-China principle, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, it opposes any form of ‘Taiwan independence’, and it firmly supports all measures of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to achieve national reunification. China highly commends Russia’s consistent position.

“Eight decades later today, we must take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests.

“We should be guardians of historical memory, partners in national development and rejuvenation and champions of global fairness and justice, and work together to forge a brighter future for humanity.”

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.