General Hsu Yong-chang represented China at Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony.
Hsu Yong-chang, also rendered Xu Yongchang, signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender for the Republic of China. He was the second Allied representative to sign after U.S. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, and he signed at about 9:13 a.m. Japan Standard Time.
China was one of the principal Allied powers that issued the Potsdam Declaration with the United States and the United Kingdom. Chinese forces had been fighting Japan since the Second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, making China a major participant in the wider conflict in Asia.
The ceremony included representatives from nine Allied governments. Hsu’s role is sometimes overlooked because MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers and Nimitz signed for the United States. Hsu’s signature specifically represented China’s government and armed forces.