The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy held a commemoration on Dec. 8 in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the recovery of the Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands from Japanese occupation.

Admiral Wu Shengli, member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and PLA Navy commander, delivers a keynote speech at the 70th anniversary of recovering the Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands in Beijing on Dec. 8, 2016. [Photo by Xie Luying / China.org.cn]

From November and December in 1946, China sent four warships – Taiping, Yongxing, Zhongjian and Zhongye – to recover the islands that were illegally occupied by Japan in the South China Sea, as per the stipulations of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation. The Chinese government hence resumed sovereignty over these islands along with the adjacent waters.

In his keynote speech, Admiral Wu Shengli, member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and PLA Navy commander, said that the commemoration was held to remember history.

"Recovering Xisha and Nansha Islands was a major achievement of China's war of resistance of invasion, which shows that China resolutely defends the post-WWII world orders. It is a national proclamation that China defends its sovereignty over the South China Sea," said Admiral Wu.

He stressed that the Chinese government always upholds the principal of "retaining sovereignty, setting aside disputes and making joint explorations" to resolve disputes through negotiations, manage differences through mechanisms and achieve win-win results through mutually beneficial cooperation.

China has been engaging in land reclamations in the South China Sea in recent years; the PLA Navy commander said that such activities are done "on China's own territory" so that they are "completely lawful, justified, and reasonable." He added that apart from necessary defensive installations, more facilities brought to the islands – such as those for maritime rescue, meteorology reports, navigation safety – are for international public interest.

He called on all countries concerned with South China Sea to respect history, preserve stability, enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation, so as to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, a sea of friendship and a sea of cooperation.

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