Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

Taiwan's DPP officials have once again had a meltdown. On August 9, Nagasaki, Japan, held a ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city. After the Taiwan authorities were not seated in the area designated for diplomatic envoys, they accused the Nagasaki municipal government of "demeaning Taiwan's 'national dignity'." Lee Yi-yang, Taiwan's "representative to Japan," went even further by making a high-profile spectacle of the issue and refusing to attend the ceremony. On August 10, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan punctured the farce in one sentence: Taiwan is not a country and there is no such thing as "national dignity" for it. The reference to Taiwan at the US is "Taiwan, Province of China." The Taiwan authorities' futile attempts to make their presence felt everywhere will only invite humiliation.

The Taiwan authorities clearly need a history lesson - not only the history of WWII, but also the basic principles of international law. What does the ceremony in Nagasaki commemorate? It commemorates the history of devastating consequences brought about by Japan's war of aggression 81 years ago and ultimately borne by ordinary people in Japan itself. Inseparably linked to this history is the indisputable fact that at the end of Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan was returned to China. The Cairo Declaration explicitly stated that the territories Japan had seized from China, including Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, were to be restored to China. Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation explicitly called for the implementation of the Cairo Declaration. These facts are not something the Taiwan authorities can erase by making a fuss in Nagasaki; rather, they are realities that the authorities should seriously reflect on and learn from.

On the anniversary of the WWII nuclear bombings, how can "Taiwan independence" separatist forces be allowed to distribute leaflets? When Japan and China normalized diplomatic relations in 1972, the Japanese government explicitly recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China and committed in black and white to maintain the position of abiding by Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation. By making a fuss over "national dignity" at a moment that should be devoted to reflecting on war and remembering history, the DPP authorities are revealing the political calculations long pursued by the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces: an attempt to deny the postwar international order's arrangements concerning the region's status - Taiwan is part of China. This is not something any country or local government can alter at will, much less something that a few Facebook posts by Lee can overturn.

The "Taiwan independence" separatist forces are isolated, shunned and viewed with caution by the international community - a reality that should leave no room for doubt. The recent incident in which Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's planned transit through Africa was reportedly denied by several countries serves as clear evidence. The more the DPP authorities rush around seeking to create a sense of "presence," the more their own sense of insecurity is exposed. The Taiwan authorities should recognize at the earliest opportunity the reality that Taiwan is part of China. "National dignity" does not exist for Taiwan, and it never will.