A photo exhibition marking the 81st anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China was held in Abuja on Friday, bringing together Chinese and Nigerian diplomats, scholars, business leaders and media practitioners.
Organised by Xinhua News Agency Africa Regional Bureau and partners, the exhibition featured more than 30 photographs under the theme “Remembering Taiwan’s Restoration, Advancing National Reunification.”
Chinese Embassy Cultural Counselor Yang Jianxing described Taiwan’s restoration as a significant outcome of China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, reaffirming the importance of national sovereignty and unity.
“The exhibition features a series of precious historical photographs and detailed textual records, showcasing the firm resolve of the Chinese people as a whole to uphold the one-China principle and safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” Yang said.
Hu Jieguo, secretary-general of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification in Western Africa, said Taiwan’s return to China 81 years ago came at a high human cost.
“This victory was not a gift, but was paid for with the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of Chinese sons and daughters who stood united against foreign aggression,” Hu said, highlighting shared Chinese and Nigerian experiences of colonialism and resistance.
Xinhua Deputy Editor-in-Chief Gui Tao said the exhibition, also held in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Mozambique, aimed to promote peace, justice and historical awareness.
“The African people, including the people of Nigeria, endured the suffering brought by colonialism, just as China did, and went through the same historical process of striving for national independence, state sovereignty and national dignity,” Gui said.
Three Taiwanese business leaders from Guangdong Province shared their experiences of living and working on the Chinese mainland. They highlighted business opportunities, community development and family life in Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen.
Chen Chi-An, executive vice president of the Guangzhou Taiwan-Funded Enterprises Association, said collaboration with mainland youth had been particularly rewarding.
“Over the past several decades, I have been able to give back to and work together with young people from the mainland, which is what makes us Taiwan businessmen happiest,” Chen said.
Wu Chun-Jui, president of the Taiwan Businessmen Association Dongguan, praised the city’s business environment and cited investments in hospitals and schools.
“We hope to take this opportunity to remember this period of history. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable,” Wu said.
Hsu Fu-hsien, president of the Taiwan Merchant Association Shenzhen, reflected on his decades in the city.
“I have grown up here, got married here, and my children have also grown up here in Shenzhen,” Hsu said.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Ibrahim, head of Nigeria’s Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research, said Nigeria recognises the one-China principle and drew parallels between China’s national unity concerns and Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
“There is a certain similarity between China’s efforts to maintain national unity and Nigeria’s own experience in maintaining its territorial integrity,” Ibrahim said.
Charles Onunaiju, director of Nigeria’s Center for China Studies, added that African countries could understand China’s position through their own historical experiences of foreign intervention and colonial aggression.
“African countries have their own historical experiences and are therefore able to understand China’s position on safeguarding national unity and sovereignty,” Onunaiju said.
The event also featured the presentation of a Xinhua-edited book, while Taiwan business associations in Guangzhou and Shenzhen donated books to Nigerian officials and experts.
