On August 15, 2025, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi clarified China's position on the issue of history when jointly meeting the press after the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

Wang Yi said that he would like to state clearly China's position on this very day. Eighty years ago today, Japan was defeated, accepted the Potsdam Proclamation and announced its unconditional surrender. The war of aggression waged by Japanese militarists at that time inflicted catastrophes not only on the people of China and other Asian countries, but also on the people of Japan. A series of international documents, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, clearly defined Japan's responsibility for the war and required that Japan return all the territories it had stolen from China, including Taiwan. This is an indisputable outcome of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and constitutes an important part of the post-war international order. Yet to this day, certain forces in Japan are still trying to whitewash or deny the aggression, distort or falsify history, and even honor the war criminals and justify their crimes. Such despicable and disgraceful actions bring shame upon themselves, and challenge the United Nations Charter, the post-war international order, human conscience, and all the people of the victorious countries. Only by facing up to history can respect be earned; only by drawing lessons from history can a future be forged; only by remembering the past can straying onto the wrong path again be avoided. China urges Japan to make the right choice.