Review Taiwan question via Cairo Declaration

Dec 1 marks the 80th anniversary of the Cairo Declaration, a pivotal moment in history when China, the United States and the United Kingdom gathered in Egypt, during the final stages of World War II. The Cairo Declaration issued by China, the US and the UK on Dec 1, 1943 stated that it was the purpose of the three allies that all the territories Japan had seized from China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, should be restored to China.

The Cairo Declaration stands as a crucial international legal document, laying the foundation for the post-war international order. Incontestably, it delineated the territorial limits of post-war Japan, affirming Taiwan's rightful return to Chinese sovereignty. This commitment was reaffirmed in the subsequent Potsdam Proclamation on July 26, 1945, which stated that "the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and such minor islands as we determine".

On Aug 14, 1945, Japan officially accepted the terms of the Potsdam Proclamation, and on Sept 2 the same year, the formal Japanese surrender took place aboard the USS Missouri. The Japanese government unequivocally pledged to abide by the conditions outlined in the Potsdam Proclamation, effectively fulfilling the principles of the Cairo Declaration.