Beijing News:

The victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was achieved under a national united front against Japanese aggression. The CPC united people from all walks of life across the country to save the nation from peril. What positive roles did non-CPC parties play in promoting cooperation between the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) and the CPC and in consolidating the national united front against Japanese aggression? Thank you.

Wang Lu:

I will take this question first. Throughout the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the CPC consistently advocated for, actively promoted and steadfastly maintained and strengthened the national united front against Japanese aggression, mobilizing the entire nation's strength for collective resistance. Comrade Mao Zedong published "On Protracted War," providing clear guidance through the fog that enveloped the early stages of the war. Inspired by the call for a united front against Japanese aggression, Chinese people at home and abroad, including the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party (CPWDP), threw themselves into the great struggle for national survival. This marked a new chapter, unprecedented in modern times, where the entire nation rose up together to fight against invaders. The national united front against Japanese aggression mobilized and united all Chinese anti-Japanese forces, representing one of the most fundamental conditions for victory.

The CPWDP actively facilitated and steadfastly upheld the national united front against Japanese aggression led by the CPC. To save the nation, on Aug. 1, 1935, the CPC issued the "Message to all Compatriots for Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and for National Salvation," urging an end to civil war and unified resistance against Japanese invasion. The CPWDP's predecessor, the Provisional Action Committee of the Chinese Nationalist Party, responded swiftly by holding the Second National Cadre Conference in Hong Kong. In order to better fulfill the responsibility of resisting Japanese aggression and saving the nation, the name was changed to the Chinese Action Committee for Nation Liberation. It also proposed the general policy of resisting Japanese aggression, allying with the CPC, and opposing Chiang Kai-shek. It adopted the "Provisional Action Program" and the "Message to the Comrades." This marked the CPWDP's departure from the KMT system and the establishment of its political line of cooperating with the CPC in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

As everyone knows, Deng Yanda, the founder of the CPWDP, studied at the Huangpu (Whampoa) Military Academy, and many of our party members are graduates of the academy. Responding to the CPC's call during the war, many CPWDP members joined the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army to fight alongside the CPC. Today, as we commemorate the great victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, one of the most essential lessons is to deeply recognize that the CPC represented the will of all people, served as the backbone of nationwide resistance, and was the strong core leading the Chinese people in their struggle for national independence and liberation. Thank you.

Jiang Liping:

Mr. Wang just provided an excellent answer. Let me add some additional points. In the great struggle for national liberation, the CPC consistently provided political direction by grasping the overall trend and big picture. It played an irreplaceable leading role in securing victory in the war. In particular, the CPC gave strong impetus to Taiwan's recovery from Japanese occupation. As early as May 15, 1937, Mao Zedong told a journalist from the United States that China's goal was to achieve a final victory in the war — a victory that would recover the occupied Chinese territories in northeast China and to the south of the Shanhai Pass, and secure the liberation of Taiwan.

The CPC's policies and vision gained active support from Taiwan compatriots. They likewise realized that achieving liberation from Japanese colonial rule required forming a national united front against Japanese aggression with mainland compatriots under the leadership of the CPC. For example, the Taiwan volunteer corps, a group of Taiwan compatriots that went directly to the front lines to fight Japan, was organized with direct support and guidance from the CPC. Led by the patriotic Taiwan compatriot General Li Youbang, the Taiwan volunteer corps contributed to the resistance in various fields, including publicity, medical services and wartime production, earning high praise from both the military and civilians. The Taiwan volunteer corps was the largest, most influential, and longest-lasting anti-Japanese force composed of Taiwan compatriots directly participating in the motherland's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. It was also the only Taiwan compatriot resistance force nationwide with regular military organization, representing an outstanding example of Taiwan compatriots' participation in the War of Resistance.

During the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, many Taiwan compatriots organized resistance groups, but their strength was relatively scattered. In 1941, to unite the broadest possible range of Taiwan revolutionaries and form a strong anti-Japanese force, founding members of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League and other prominent figures of Taiwanese origin, including Li Youbang, Qiu Niantai, Li Chunqing, Song Feiru, and Xie Nanguan, established the Taiwan Revolutionary Alliance in Chongqing. The CPC actively supported their efforts. The Alliance aimed to "pool all revolutionary forces in Taiwan to overthrow Japanese imperialism and restore Taiwan to the motherland." It actively coordinated preparations for the restoration of Taiwan and offered proposals regarding the post-war status of Taiwan. The older generation of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League members played an active role in consolidating a united front against Japanese aggression with concrete actions.

Thank you.