Reminders of history and sovereignty

They still stand. Weathered and baked by the sun, certainly, but they stand as icons of defiance. When people visit China's Yongxing Island in the South China Sea for the first time, residents proudly point out these symbols of China's sovereignty: a three-story gun tower and a meter-high stone with red lettering that marks the return of the island to Chinese sovereignty after the war from occupying Japanese forces.

The gun tower, now empty of weapons and refurbished, was built by Japanese imperial forces after Japan invaded and occupied the Xisha Islands in 1939. Its square openings allowed gun crews to train their fire on the South China Sea. Both are located on the western part of one China's Xisha Islands.

The two reminders of history are just a few meters from each other, and easily attract the attention of inquisitive passers-by. The leaves of coconut trees, swaying in the breeze, cast fleeting shadows on them in an almost idyllic scene.

Japan invaded and occupied the Xisha Islands in 1939.

The Xisha and Nansha islands were returned to Chinese sovereignty under the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, and the then Chinese government retook these islands in 1946.

The history of the islands, and their recovery, remind me of Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks when he was asked about the South China Sea in June last year at the World Peace Forum in Beijing.

"At that time, China and the US were allies, and the Chinese personnel recovered the Nansha Islands from on board US warships. The American friends should be clear about this," Wang said.

Zhang Haiwen, a leading Chinese expert on international maritime law with the State Oceanic Administration, said that one of the most valid measures to confirm China's jurisdiction, in terms of international law, was publicly recovering the Xisha and Nansha islands by dispatching troops and prominent figures there.

To demonstrate China's sovereignty, officials and officers organized celebratory cannon fire and raised flags marking the return of the islands.

"Those measures effectively proved how China reinforced its sovereignty over the South China Sea islands. Also, the international community did not voice objections to such measures," Zhang said.

In addition to the United States, Japan has increased its profile concerning the South China Sea in the past two years.

Tokyo is also seeking to pass a strong declaration on the South China Sea during the upcoming G7 summit in Japan.

There has been a widely accepted definition and agreement about Tokyo's wartime role. This may be ignored or glossed over by some in Japan but wounds that were then inflicted are still sensitive.

As Japan frequently campaigns for reinforcing military cooperation with countries, such as the Philippines, and boosts its military presence in the South China Sea, peace-loving people like to ask: what is Japan's ultimate purpose? Is it benefiting from stirring up the situation here? Are Japanese right-wingers trying to return to their past "glory"?

These are questions that should not need to be asked as the coconut tree leaves cast their shadows over reminders of history.