This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of World War II and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has prioritized "anti-aggression" as the central theme of its commemorations, promoting the achievements of the Republic of China's armed forces during both wars. Furthermore, rumors have surfaced that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold a military parade commemorating the war, reigniting a cross-strait dispute over the right to speak on the history of the Anti-Japanese War.
Although the Communist Party's actual contribution to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression has been questioned, there are rumors in Beijing that Xi Jinping will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression with a grand military parade this year, and may even invite Russian Prime Minister Putin.
For Taiwan, Beijing has been using these celebrations to seize the right to speak about the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. On the 26th, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense held a press conference to discuss the "80th Anniversary of World War II and the Victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression." Major General Lou Weijie, Director of the Publicity and Psychological Warfare Division of the Political Warfare Bureau, stated, "The so-called right to speak doesn't mean whoever organizes more events gets the right to speak. It's based on factual considerations. The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began in 1937, World War II in 1939, and we declared war on the Axis powers until 1945, when World War II and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression were both won. The People's Republic of China was not founded until 1949. This is why a simple timeline is printed after 'Guai Guai', so that everyone can easily see that this is the fact."
Lou Weijie mentioned a collaboration with snack brand Guaiguai, releasing three limited-edition co-branded products that incorporate the history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression into the packaging, thereby educating more young people about the war. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has also partnered with a beverage brand to incorporate promotional materials into consumer products.
Lou Weijie emphasized, "All World War II documents refer to the 'Republic of China,' not the 'People's Republic of China.' This is an indisputable fact. This year, we're not competing with the other side to see who can host bigger or more events. Instead, we hope to set the tone for promoting the spirit of World War II: resisting aggression and protecting our homeland. This is the most advantageous way to gain a voice."
Scholar: It was the Republic of China, not the People's Republic of China, that participated in World War II
Xu Zhixiang, an assistant researcher at the Institute for Chinese Political-Military and Warfare Concepts at the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense think tank, the Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, told Radio Free Asia: "The People's Republic of China was not a regime participating in World War II. At most, the Eighth Route Army was a guerrilla force of approximately 100,000 to 200,000 troops on the Chinese battlefield at the time, expanding its forces and participating in the war to a certain extent. Based on historical facts, the Chinese Communist Party certainly does not have the legitimacy to claim that they were the dominant force in World War II."
Xu Zhixiang gave an example: "In the Japanese Army's first battle, the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi Campaign, the Nationalist Army deployed millions of troops and suffered over 500,000 to 600,000 casualties. Compared to the Communist Army's largest battle, the Hundred Regiments Campaign, which suffered around 20,000 casualties, this shows the intensity of the fighting."
Xu Zhixiang said that the National Army had a period of rest and recuperation, and the Communist Army harassed behind enemy lines. The Communist Army used this to accuse the National Army of not actively resisting the Japanese invasion, but the National Army was still the real main force in the war of resistance, and the scale and volume of the Communist Army's investment were completely incomparable to that of the National Army.
According to the "Combat Notes on the Front Lines of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," 206 high-ranking generals from the Nationalist army were killed in action, while "Asia Weekly" reports that only one from the Communist army was killed. From the July 7 Incident of 1937 to Japan's defeat and surrender in 1945, the Japanese army inflicted 20 million civilian casualties and 3.2 million military casualties on mainland China, a level of brutality second only to that of the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.
Scholar: The CCP used the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to grow stronger and eventually seized power in mainland China
Wu Sezhi, a researcher at the Cross-Strait Policy Association, also mentioned in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the anti-Japanese policy set by the Chinese Communist Party at the Luochuan Conference in 1937 was "one part resistance to Japan, two parts coping, and seven parts development."
Wu Sezhi stated, "The PLA prioritized its own political development over resistance to Japan. The CCP's significant surpassing of the KMT after World War II, forcing the KMT to lose power in mainland China, was crucially due to the Second World War, which gave the Communist Party a chance to survive. Mao Zedong's strategy at the time—one part resistance to Japan, two parts coping, and seven parts development—did achieve a certain degree of success. This war not only impacted the major battlefields in the Pacific but also led to a historical reversal of the KMT-CCP relationship in China."
Wu Sezhi mentioned that in the second half of World War II, due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the US military invested a lot of force and finally dropped the atomic bomb to end the war, causing the Japanese army to surrender.
Xu Zhixiang noted that the CCP used to promote the idea that the PLA was the main force in World War II. However, in recent years, the narrative has been reoriented, with a revisionist approach emphasizing that the KMT fought on the front lines while the PLA fought behind enemy lines. In reality, the KMT bore the brunt of the large-scale engagements and the heaviest casualties in the Chinese theater of World War II.
Since the 70 years since the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Communist Party has actively sought to gain a say in World War II. Xu Zhixiang believes that under the competitive situation between the United States and China, the relationship between the CCP and the West has deteriorated, coupled with tensions with Japan and South Korea. After Xi Jinping came to power, he highly emphasized the ideology of nationalism. Therefore, strengthening and controlling the main narrative theme of who was fighting against foreign enemies in World War II is beneficial to political propaganda and the legitimacy of the united front against Taiwan.
Hsu Chih-hsiang noted that during World War II, the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan launched invasions across the globe, ultimately being repelled by the Allies. In contrast, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has recently adopted aggressive policies and engaged in various military harassment operations in neighboring regions. This year's commemoration of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Taiwan is themed "Anti-Aggression," reminding the CCP and the world that aggressors will ultimately be defeated.
Scholar: The CCP condemns Japan's expansion while heading down the same expansionist path
Xu Zhixiang discovered coincidences in history. The Chinese Communist Party's military expansionist policy in recent years includes the South China Sea dispute and the PLA's long-distance voyages to various places. Recently, it has been deployed near Australia. There are also rumors that it wants to build a base in the Solomon Islands. Some fleets may have entered the central Pacific and even headed towards Midway Island during long-distance voyages.
He warned: "The CCP's actions are inexplicably consistent with Japan's expansionist behavior and similar paths back then, which is a great historical irony. While emphasizing the commemoration of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it is also doing things similar to what the Japanese Empire did back then. For democratic countries, it is better to help them disengage than to defeat the invaders and avoid repeating the same mistakes."
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which is in charge of cross-strait affairs, recently pointed out that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the liberation of Taiwan. It is estimated that the Chinese Communist Party will hold relevant commemorative activities, calling for "anti-independence", "promoting reunification" and shaping the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to belong to "one China".
Taiwan's Defense Minister, Gu Lixiong, also emphasized earlier that the People's Republic of China wasn't founded until 1949. "If we were to fight a war that wasn't even born yet, it would be impossible." Whether it's World War II or the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the subject of all historical records is the Republic of China, not the People's Republic of China. Gu Lixiong emphasized: "The key to discourse power is not who has the loudest voice, and that can change this fact."
