The date 17 April 1995 marked the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, in which China ceded its sovereignty over Taiwan in perpetuity. The Treaty was signed in April 1895, at the end of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, in which the modernized Japanese imperial army defeated the antiquated Chinese Ching dynasty army. For the people in Taiwan, the Shimonoseki Treaty is a significant event, because it marks a major milestone in Taiwan's evolution towards an independent nation …showed first 75 words of 770 total…

…showed last 75 words of 770 total…Nations" -- i.e. self-determination. It is therefore up to the people in Taiwan to determine their own future. The conference also had an important message for the Kuomintang authorities: Dr. Chang Fu-mei, a DPP-member of the National Assembly, stated: "For people living on Taiwan who are constantly told by the authorities that their roots are in China, it is important to know that it was China that 100 years ago gave up Taiwan -- forever."