H.Res. 689

[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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