By Xu Yongzhi

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi openly claimed that a “Taiwan contingency” could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” under which Japan may exercise the right of collective self-defense. From a legal perspective, this fallacious argument commits at least three serious offenses.

First, it challenges the international order established after World War II.

In 1943, China, the United States and the United Kingdom held the Cairo Conference and jointly issued the Cairo Declaration afterward. From the standpoint of international law, the document made it unequivocally clear that Japan’s occupation of Taiwan was illegal, affirmed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and requested Japan to return all Chinese territories it had stolen, including Taiwan.

In July 1945, China, the United States and the United Kingdom jointly issued the Potsdam Proclamation, which reaffirmed that “the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out.” In September of the same year, Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender, explicitly pledging to “fulfill the obligations laid out in the Potsdam Proclamation.” On October 25, 1945, the Chinese government proclaimed the restoration of the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan and held a ceremony to accept Japan’s surrender in the Taiwan province of the China war theater.

A series of documents and historical facts demonstrate that Japan’s return of Taiwan to China was a victorious outcome of the World Anti-Fascist War and an integral part of the post–World War II international order. Takaichi’s fallacies, insinuating the possibility of military intervention in the Taiwan question, constitute a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs and an open challenge to the postwar international order.

Second, it reneges on Japan’s obligations.

During negotiations on the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations in 1972, the Japanese government submitted a written document to China explaining the concrete meaning of the statement later incorporated into the Sino-Japan Joint Statement — that “the Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation.”

Based on Japan’s acceptance of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, the document stated that Taiwan should be returned to China, which it described as “the consistent view of the Japanese government,” and that Japan “has not envisaged that Taiwan would have any legal status other than as part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China.” This constituted Japan’s commitment to China on the Taiwan question. Subsequently, China and Japan signed the Sino-Japan Joint Statement.

In 1978, the two countries concluded the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which explicitly stipulates that the principles set forth in the Sino-Japan Joint Statement shall be strictly observed. Accordingly, recognizing that “Taiwan belongs to China” and refraining from interference in the Taiwan question are obligations binding on Japan. 

The above documents clearly demonstrate Japan’s explicit commitment to treating the Taiwan question as China’s internal affair. While Takaichi’s remarks violate diplomatic commitments and amount to a repudiation of treaty obligations.

Third, it violates fundamental principles of international law.

By linking a so-called “Taiwan contingency” with Japan’s “survival-threatening situation,” Takaichi is attempting to use Japan’s domestic law to confer legitimacy on intervention in the Taiwan question. Her remarks imply the use of force to interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine China’s territorial integrity. This not only contravenes the Potsdam Proclamation and the guiding principle of the four political documents between China and Japan, but also violates international law, including the Charter of the United Nations. China will never accept such actions, nor will the international community permit them. So far, multiple countries have already spoken out to condemn these remarks.

Those who challenge the international order will inevitably suffer the consequences; those who renege on treaty obligations will forfeit their credibility; and those who violate international law will ultimately face the verdict of justice. The Taiwan question allows no room for Japanese interference, and any act that crosses the line will be met with a resolute response.

(Xu Yongzhi is the director of the Division of Japanese Security Studies of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations)

By Yin Yan, People’s Daily

In the early morning, birdsong awakens the forest in Xinglong Mountain National Nature Reserve in northwest China’s Gansu province. Hidden among the dense foliage, acoustic sensors come online simultaneously, accurately identifying and capturing every call. 

This serene yet dynamic scene represents a typical day for the wildlife monitoring and conservation research team at Lanzhou University, revealing the remarkable progress of China’s ecological monitoring technologies.

Zhang Lixun, head of the research team and a professorate senior engineer at the university’s College of Ecology, recalled that in the 1990s, researchers had to carry bulky tape recorders up the mountains. “Once the tapes ran out, we had to hike back down,” he said. 

From cassette tapes and MP3 players to professional digital recorders, the team has witnessed a transformation in their tools over the years. In 2022, they achieved a significant milestone with the full deployment of a new generation of domestically developed intelligent acoustic sensors, marking the beginning of an era where artificial intelligence enhances wildlife monitoring and conservation efforts.

This technological leap has made broader and deeper observation possible. The team has established 60 monitoring sites across three environmental gradients in and around Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province: from largely undisturbed ecosystems such as Xinglong Mountain and Liancheng nature reserve, to moderately disturbed county-level areas, and finally to downtown Lanzhou dotted with parks and residential communities. 

The vast volume of data collected reveals an encouraging trend. “Ten years ago, most birds seen in the city were just passing through,” Zhang explained. “Now, many of them have chosen to settle in Lanzhou.”

The number of recorded bird species in Lanzhou has grown from just over 100 to 339. Common species such as blackbirds and azure-winged magpies appearing more frequently, and even the once-rare Bohemian waxwings have begun overwintering in Gansu’s Yuzhong county. As seed eaters, Bohemian waxwings are drawn by the abundance of Rosaceae plants and Chinese arborvitae in urban green belts, which now serve as well-stocked food sources.

Teaching machines to “understand” birdsong is no simple task. Sound recognition is far more challenging than image recognition. In the early days, members of Zhang’s team had to manually analyze recordings frame by frame — “like editing a film” –to identify bird species. 

Today, AI systems conduct initial screening rapidly, though accuracy still requires verification of experienced field researchers who continuously refine the algorithms. The collected acoustic data are uploaded to the University’s dynamic wildlife soundscape monitoring and perception platform. 

“The more acoustic footprints of local bird species we have,” Zhang elaborated, “the more accurate the AI species recognition models become after big-data training.” At present, the recognition rate has exceeded 85 percent.

Unlike traditional methods, acoustic monitoring operates around the clock, providing a wealth of data. “While we have accumulated a substantial amount of data,” Zhang acknowledged, “the sample size is still insufficient for comprehensive anaylsis.”  

Only with more data, he emphasized, can researchers more precisely assess the long-term impacts of climate change or ecological restoration efforts. Zhang believes acoustic monitoring will offer broader research prospects and a stronger data foundation for future ecological studies.

In a paper published by the team in 2024, acoustic monitoring was extensively used to rapidly assess biodiversity during peak periods of bird activity. The study concluded that secondary forests and primary forests play irreplaceable roles in conserving bird diversity, providing scientific evidence for calls to protect intact primary forests and to optimize ecological restoration strategies in arid regions.

At dusk, egrets glide gracefully over the Yellow River, with bird calls blending with the rustling willows along its banks. These sounds, interwoven with the pulse of the city, are faithfully captured by acoustic sensors and ultimately fed into a database, serving as vital indicators of ecological change. According to Zhang, Lanzhou’s ecological environment has continued to improve in recent years, offering stronger safeguards for bird habitats.

On laboratory screens, real-time maps flicker with points of light, each quietly telling a story of how technology and long-term dedication enable humanity to listen more closely to nature. 

Looking ahead, the team remains optimistic. “We will certainly use better and more advanced equipment,” Zhang said. “And we are confident that more birds will choose to make their home in this city along the Yellow River.”

By Zhang Jin

Cultural heritage is a vital carrier of human civilization. Yet in the course of cultural heritage protection and development, a seeming paradox often arises: isolating heritage sites for protection risks disconnecting from social development, while unchecked commercialization can compromise their authenticity. How can this dilemma be resolved?

Practice shows that deep community participation holds the key. When residents shift from passive onlookers to active contributors, heritage conservation and community development can reinforce each other, paving the way for sustainable outcomes. This approach has proven successful across China, with the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City standing out as a particularly compelling case study.

The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a major archaeological discovery of the 20th century in China, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. Featuring a vast ancient city, a sophisticated hydraulic system, and tiered burial sites, including altars, the site provides compelling evidence of the remarkable achievements of rice-based agriculture in prehistoric societies along the Yangtze River basin some 5,000 years ago. It represents an outstanding example of early urban civilization in human history.

Located in Yuhang district of Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, the core area of the Liangzhu site sits at the intersection of robust economic development and exemplary heritage conservation. 

By adopting a development model that combines an ecological park with a vibrant living environment, the site has explored ways to “develop through protection and protect through development.” 

Rather than sealing the ruins off from the world, relevant authorities have harnessed technology to enhance conservation and activated cultural resources to energize the community, enabling ancient civilization and contemporary life to coexist in harmony and nourish each other.

Great emphasis has been placed on fostering cultural identity and encouraging resident participation. In 2011, 3,931 households in the Liangzhu Cultural Village, a community developed adjacent to the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City that integrates cultural heritage presentation with eco-friendly living and leisure functions, jointly formulated a residents’ charter comprising 26 civic commitments, helping to build a close-knit, trust-based community and strengthen residents’ sense of belonging. 

Building on this foundation, the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins actively promoted community co-creation, cultivating sustainable mechanism for cultural development. An innovative governance model implements a community deliberation system using online forums and offline meetings, resolving over 95% of resident issues while enhancing local governance.

An innovative institutional framework has been established to balance site safety with improvements to people’s livelihoods. Under a “categorized, phased, and collective application” mechanism, townships make unified housing construction plans, residents submit applications collectively, and the government covers archaeological-related costs, ensuring both heritage protection and residential stability. 

For the 14 villages in the protected zone, a spatial arrangement has been put in place whereby development complexes outside the core heritage area, effectively separating conservation from development in an orderly manner.

In terms of industrial development, the Liangzhu site management area is working to transform cultural resources into drivers of growth. 

On the one hand, cultural and creative industries have been leveraged to empower heritage conservation. Through a “Liangzhu MEI” lifestyle aesthetics initiative, the site has partnered with universities and other institutions to form a lifestyle aesthetics alliance, developing more than 600 cultural and creative products. In 2024, sales reached 270 million yuan ($38.7 million), with a number of blockbuster products emerging. 

On the other hand, industrial clustering has fostered a vibrant cultural hub. The Liangzhu Cultural Corridor connects diverse cultural resources and clusters more than 1,000 enterprises at or above the designated size, or those with annual main business revenue of 20 million yuan or more,  demonstrating distinct advantages in sectors such as digital content, animation, and gaming. Supported by these distinctive industries, the area promotes all-around rural revitalization, allowing villagers to live and work happily in their hometown.

Experience shows that heritage conservation and community development can be mutually reinforcing. The crucial shift from static preservation to living heritage transmission revitalize dormant sites, integrating them into modern life as cultural anchors.

Simultaneously, it has made the crucial shift from isolated conservation to integrated planning, weaving heritage protection into the broader economic and social development framework to achieve both minimal intervention and sustainable progress.

Many similar examples can be found across China. Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan province has transformed a downtown football stadium into an open archaeological park; Luoyang in central China’s Henan province has built an archaeological research and study base across 20 square kilometers of heritage sites; and residents living along the Ancient Shu Road in Sichuan province have become “tour guides” for visitors. Behind these successes lies a distinctly Chinese approach to sustainable development.

Ultimately, the sustainable development of cultural heritage means making it an indispensable and vibrant part of everyday community life. When communities benefit from protection and, in turn, empower it, conservation ceases to be an external imposition and becomes an internalized cultural commitment. This is precisely the wisdom China offers the world in the field of cultural heritage protection.

(Zhang Jin is the director of the Heritage Protection and Adaptive Reuse Branch, Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute.)