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.

Bill: 119-hres-689
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4]
Introduced: 2025-09-10
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2025-09-10
text: 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.

Summaries:

tv_txt: IV 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 689 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

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.