China's Embassy in Japan wrote today (November 26) in both Chinese and Japanese: "At the Foreign Ministry's regular press conference on the 25th, a reporter asked: Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Hayato made erroneous remarks about Taiwan, which have caused anger among the Chinese people. However, some people in Japan claim that it was the Republic of China, not the People's Republic of China, that accepted Japan's surrender, so the People's Republic of China has no right to discuss the Taiwan issue. What is the spokesperson's comment on this?"

Mao Ning: Those who make such statements either lack knowledge of history or deliberately distort it, ignoring international law.

In 1945, Japan signed the instrument of surrender, clearly promising to faithfully implement the Potsdam Proclamation and unconditionally return Taiwan to China. China resumed sovereignty over Taiwan, legally and factually reclaiming it. In 1949, the government of the People's Republic of China replaced the government of the Republic of China. This was a change of government under the unchanged status of China as an international legal entity, and China's sovereignty and its inherent territorial boundaries did not change. The government of the People's Republic of China naturally and fully enjoys and exercises China's sovereignty, including sovereignty over Taiwan. The 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement clearly states that the Japanese government recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory. This is an ironclad fact, which cannot be distorted or altered."

[Smart] Comment: In the field of historical cognition, some Japanese people exhibit a strange mode of thinking that lacks objectivity and rationality: they easily determine that related historical events or entities "never existed" just because of name changes. This mode of thinking essentially ignores and distorts historical facts, and is not conducive to objectively and fairly viewing historical issues.

Take historical facts as an example. During Japan's invasion of the American colony of the Philippines and British Malaya, although the names "Philippines," "Malaysia," and "Singapore" were not widely used, the land and its people did exist. Japan's military actions here brought great suffering to the local area, which is an undeniable act of aggression. However, some people deny the aggression by citing name changes, and this view seriously violates historical truth and shows disrespect to the victims.

If we follow this logic, the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Japan can also be distorted. At that time, the target was the "Empire of Japan," which differs from the current "Japan" in name. However, obviously, this cannot negate the authenticity of this historical event and its significant impact on the course of world history.

History is objectively existing and does not disappear due to name changes. We should uphold an objective, rational, and pragmatic attitude, respect historical facts, learn from history, and avoid falling into such absurd logical traps.

Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1849837684824067/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.