Activities on the Chinese mainland to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Taiwan from Japan have improved relations across the Taiwan Straits, according to a visiting scholar from China's Taiwan Province.
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Taiwan was ceded to Japan under the "Treaty of Shimonoseki," signed by the Qing Dynasty government after it was defeated in the Sino-Japanese war (1894-95). Only on October 25, 1945, after World War II had ended, did Taiwan formally reclaim its Chinese identity.
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A big celebration ceremony will be held in Beijing tomorrow, some six decades later.
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"The day marks the time when Taiwan returned to the motherland," said Wang Hsiaopo, a professor from the National Taiwan University. "The day tells us we are always Chinese."
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"There could be no reunification (of the mainland with Taiwan) if Taiwan wasn't returned from Japan."
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Wang made these remarks at a commemoration conference in Beijing yesterday, attended by mainland officials and visiting Taiwan scholars and war veterans.
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While emphasizing the contribution Taiwan compatriots played in national liberation, Wang said patriotism for the motherland played a key role in the victory.
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"The Taiwan people had a deep feeling of patriotism while fighting against the Japanese imperialists," Wang said.
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"Today, that feeling continues to inspire people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, pushing forward reunification."
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A photo gallery to commemorate the anniversary opens today at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

(China Daily October 24, 2005)