[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 689 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 689
Expressing the opposition of the House of Representatives to the
Chinese Communist Party's ``stolen valor'' historical revisionism with
regards to Allied Victory in Asia, commemorating the contributions made
by the Republic of China to Allied Victory, and acknowledging the
postwar contributions of the Government of Japan to peace and stability
in the Indo-Pacific.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 10, 2025
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Tiffany, and
Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to
the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the opposition of the House of Representatives to the
Chinese Communist Party's ``stolen valor'' historical revisionism with
regards to Allied Victory in Asia, commemorating the contributions made
by the Republic of China to Allied Victory, and acknowledging the
postwar contributions of the Government of Japan to peace and stability
in the Indo-Pacific.
Whereas, on September 3, 2025, the Chinese Communist Party held (CCP) an
exercise in orchestrated propaganda in Beijing ostensibly commemorating
the eightieth anniversary of the end of what it called the ``Chinese
People's War against Japanese Aggression'', a theater of the ``World
Anti-Fascist War'', attended by heads of state or government from
countries that included Russia, the People's Democratic Republic of
Korea (North Korea), Belarus, Iran, Cuba, and other totalitarian and
authoritarian nations that the People's Republic of China (PRC) seeks to
align with its vision of a future world order, or ``Community of Common
Destiny for Mankind'';
Whereas the CCP's claim that forces under its command deserve primary credit for
the victory of the Allies over the Empire of Japan in World War II is a
historical revisionist claim which amounts to ``stolen valor'' at the
expense of the United States' wartime ally Republic of China (ROC) and
the U.S. Armed Forces engaged in the Pacific theater;
Whereas the brunt of the war effort against the then-Empire of Japan in China
was borne by the ROC and armed forces under the leadership of Chinese
Nationalists, or Kuomintang;
Whereas even before the formal declaration of war between the United States and
the Empire of Japan, former American servicemen formed the American
Volunteer Group, known as the Flying Tigers, to assist the ROC in its
war of resistance;
Whereas, following the United States entry into World War II, Lieutenant General
Joseph Stilwell, the Allied commander for forces operating in the China-
Burma-India Theater, and ROC General Sun Li-jen--a graduate of Virginia
Military Institute--collaborated extensively in that theater;
Whereas the CCP and its forces did minimal fighting against the Empire of Japan
relative to those of the Nationalists, allowing the soldiers of the ROC
to bear the brunt of the fighting and casualties while building up
military strength with the support of the Soviet Union, aimed at
restarting the civil war the CCP intended to wage against the ROC
government, with the objective of bringing China under Communist
control;
Whereas in a 1939 report to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, the CCP's Chou En-lai
(Zhou Enlai) acknowledged that of an estimated 1,000,000 casualties
suffered in combat with the Empire of Japan through the summer of that
year, only 3 percent were Communist forces, conceding the leadership
role of the Nationalist leadership of the ROC;
Whereas the CCP and its chairman Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong), dependent on Soviet
assistance, had accepted and defended the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union;
Whereas the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union), which had signed
a non-aggression pact with Japan in April 1941, entered the war on
August 9, 1945, six days before the de facto cessation of hostilities by
Japan, and continued military campaigns beyond August 15 in an effort to
occupy as much territory and weaponry in Northeastern China and
Manchuria for the benefit of the CCP and obtain as much materiel and
industrial equipment as possible for shipment back to the Soviet Union;
Whereas, on September 2, 1945, the Government of the Empire of Japan, signed the
Instrument of Surrender of Japan (Instrument) and affixed seals to it
aboard the USS Missouri, thereby bringing the War in the Pacific to an
end;
Whereas, as a wartime ally of the United States, the ROC was represented by
General Hsu Yung-ch'ang, who affixed his signature to the Instrument;
the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers General of the Army Douglas
MacArthur signed for the Allied Powers, and the United States was
represented by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz;
Whereas the Empire of Japan presented the Instrument to the Government of the
Republic of China at its capital in Nanking, the capital of which is now
located in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 9, 1945, thereby satisfying the
requirement that a signed copy of the Instrument be formally conveyed;
Whereas, despite the CCP having entered into a United Front coalition with the
Nationalists in 1937, the CCP began to wage a civil war soon after the
end of the Second World War, seeking to defeat the Nationalists and take
over control of mainland China;
Whereas, on November 3, 1946, Japan promulgated a new Constitution, effective
May 3, 1947, and became a partner for peace in East Asia and entered
into a Security Treaty Between the United States of America and Japan,
which was signed on September 8, 1951, and entered into force on April
28, 1952;
Whereas the U.S. Japan Status-of-Forces Agreement of 1960, as updated, allows
forward deployed U.S. Naval Forces and aircraft to be the first line of
deterrence protecting Taiwan and preserving peace in Asia;
Whereas Japan's Self-Defense Forces are able to rapidly deploy a Humanitarian
Disaster Relief response;
Whereas Japan is a member of ``the Quad'' and participates in trilateral
dialogues with the United States and the Philippines with respect to
preserving freedom of navigation and the need for the PRC to cease acts
in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas which threaten to
destabilize peace in Asia and which may constitute the crime of
aggression;
Whereas the ROC, often referred to as the ``Republic of China Taiwan'', endures
today, and President Lai Ching-te, in his public addresses, has also
invoked this name, recalling the Republic's pre-1945 history and the
contributions made by Nationalist soldiers and graduates of the Whampoa
Military Academy, and joined with other World War II allies of the ROC
in commemoration of Victory in Europe; and
Whereas the CCP routinely employs propaganda, censorship and orchestrated public
statements to fabricate a fraudulent narrative that disregards
historical facts and distorts reality in order to advance its political
objectives: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the United States Government, via public
diplomacy and media outreach, to counter the CCP's historical
revisionism and propaganda, particularly with regard to the
Allied Victory in the Second World War and to counter the CCP's
``stolen valor'' narrative which seeks to downplay the role of
the ROC and elevate that of the CCP's forces;
(2) calls upon the U.S. Department of State to use its
voice, vote and influence at the United Nations and other
international organizations to counter CCP efforts to distort
history, including its efforts to distort and disregard the
actual text of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758
of 1971;
(3) exhorts the Department of Education and State and local
school boards to ensure that history regarding the United
States Second World War allies is taught with historical
accuracy, and guards against CCP propaganda narratives;
(4) recognizes the wartime accomplishments of the ROC, the
United States, and their allies;
(5) commends the heroism and altruism of the American
Volunteer Group;
(6) recognizes the critical, cooperative role played by
Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and other like-minded partners
to preserve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific; and
(7) supports efforts by Taiwan, consistent with the Taiwan
Allies International Protection and Enhancement (TAIPEI) Act of
2019 (Public Law 116-135), as amended, in strengthening its
official diplomatic relationships and other partnerships with
countries around the world, as well as its participation in
international organizations.
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