Taiwan Slams Russia and China for Distorting WWII History

Taipei Accuses Moscow and Beijing of Misrepresenting the Role of Communist Forces in the Fight Against Japan, Highlighting Taiwan's Claim to Sovereignty.

TAIPEI: Taiwan has publicly denounced Russia and China for what it perceives as a distortion of World War II history, specifically challenging the narrative surrounding the Chinese communist forces' involvement in the conflict. The statement, released on Friday (May 9), asserts that these forces made "no substantial contribution" to the fight against Japan, instead using the war as an opportunity to expand their own military strength.

This year, Taiwan has strategically used the war as a case study to China, arguing that aggression inevitably leads to failure. The island aims to remind the world that it was not the government in Beijing that secured victory in the war.

At the time, the Chinese government was the Republic of China, allied with the US, British, and Russian-led forces. This government bore the brunt of the fighting against Japan, temporarily halting a bitter civil war with Mao Zedong's Communists, whose military also engaged in combat against the Japanese.

Following their defeat by Mao's forces, the republican government retreated to Taiwan in 1949. The Republic of China remains the official name of the democratic island.

Responding to comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Chinese President Xi Jinping, suggesting that the war was won under the leadership of China's communist party, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement. This statement emphasized that it was the Republic of China government and its people who fought and ultimately achieved victory.

"The Chinese communists only took the opportunity to expand and consolidate communist forces, and made no substantial contribution to the war of resistance, let alone 'leading' the war of resistance," the council stated.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Xi Jinping was in Moscow to participate in Friday's military parade, which commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.

In a joint statement with China, Russia reiterated that Taiwan is an "inseparable part of the People's Republic of China" – a position strongly contested by the government in Taipei.

The government in Beijing claims it has the legal right to claim Taiwan based on its status as the successor state to the Republic of China. Beijing cites the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Declaration, which addressed the island's status as a former Japanese colony.

Taiwan's foreign ministry countered by stating that these documents actually confirm that the Republic of China held sovereignty over Taiwan.

"At the time, the People's Republic of China did not exist at all," the ministry said.

"Any false statements intended to distort Taiwan's sovereign status cannot change history, nor can they shake the objective facts recognised by the international community."

China regards Taiwan President Lai Ching-te as a "separatist". He rejects Beijing's claims of sovereignty, asserting that only the people of Taiwan have the right to determine their own future.