Overview
- China's National People's Congress Standing Committee approved Oct. 25 as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration and called for state-led observances.
- Senior legislator Shen Chunyao said the holiday highlights Beijing's view that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and is intended to encourage reunification.
- Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council rejected the move, noting that the ROC accepted Japan's surrender in Taipei on Oct. 25, 1945, years before the PRC was founded.
- Taiwan had already restored Oct. 25 as a 2025 public holiday titled Taiwan Retrocession Day and Memorial Day of Great Victory at Kuningtou Kinmen after a 24-year hiatus, backed by KMT and TPP lawmakers and opposed by the ruling DPP.
- The announcement fits Beijing's broader strategy pairing legal-symbolic steps with increased PLA activity near the island, which includes near-daily air and naval drills.