Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Russia to attend the 80th anniversary of victory in the Soviet Patriotic War. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te also plans to deliver a speech on Victory in Europe Day on the 8th, emphasizing that victory in World War II came from the unity of democratic allies against fascism.
Sources cited by Reuters stated that this year, Taiwan has actively reinterpreted World War II history to convey to China the historical lesson that "aggression is doomed to failure." Lai Ching-te's commemoration of the European War was intended to call for Taiwanese unity in the face of increasing aggression from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. This marked the first time the Taiwanese government publicly and officially commemorated the end of World War II in Europe.
Radio Free Asia interviewed the Taiwan Presidential Office on this matter, but received no response before press time.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Taiwan's planned commemoration of the European War as a "distortion of history and falsification of facts," stating that "achieving national reunification and rejuvenation is the best way to commemorate the victory of the War of Resistance."
Huang Pengxiao, a former Taiwanese National Assembly representative, told Radio Free Asia that while Lai Ching-te has a new approach, so too does the United States. "President Trump isn't referring to VE Day in Europe, but rather VE Day in the United States. After the end of World War II, each country had its own interpretation, each claiming credit for itself. Each country, intentionally or unintentionally, downplayed the contributions of the United States and its allies. This phenomenon is also very evident in China."
Huang Pengxiao noted that Nazi Germany's surrender to the Allies marked the end of World War II in Europe, but not in Asia. During the height of the European conflict, the Japanese invaders launched Operation One, sweeping across Henan, Hubei, Wuhan, Hunan, and Guangxi—known as the Battle of Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi. The Nationalist army suffered a relentless defeat. This is why, at the Yalta Conference, the United States requested that Stalin send troops, knowing full well that the Chinese army alone could not defeat Japan and that the Soviet Union would need to send troops into Manchuria.
Former Taiwanese National Congress Representative: Chiang Kai-shek's greatest contribution to the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the United States
"(Chiang Kai-shek's claim) that the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression would be won and Taiwan would be recovered was the KMT's biggest lie," Huang Pengxiao pointed out. Why did Roosevelt, despite Churchill's objections, promise Chiang Kai-shek at the Cairo Conference that he would cede the three northeastern provinces, Taiwan, and Penghu to China if the war ended? He did so to pressure Chiang Kai-shek into sending troops to Burma to assist the Allied landings there. Later, because the KMT's army was too weak, the Burma landings never took place. Chiang Kai-shek's failure to fulfill his promise and China's underperformance of its military capabilities were widely questioned. Instead, he demanded a whopping $1 billion in aid from the United States, a staggering sum at the time.
Huang Pengxiao emphasized: "Chiang Kai-shek's greatest contribution to the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the United States. The United States won, while China stood firm. Chiang Kai-shek's greatest mistake was to side with the United States and win with the United States. At that time, Taiwan was in the Pacific Theater, just like Japan. Chiang Kai-shek was the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Theater, which was completely different from the Pacific Theater. During the entire Second World War, no Chinese troops ever set foot in Taiwan. Therefore, it was not the Nationalist Army that truly recovered Taiwan, but the US Army."
Huang Pengxiao mentioned that China had no representatives at the San Francisco Peace Treaty conference because it was engaged in a civil war. What was the final decision regarding Taiwan? Japan announced its renunciation of sovereignty over Taiwan and Penghu, but did not mention returning them to China. Who would decide after these renunciations? The decision rested with the United States, the allies, and in practice, primarily the United States. This explains the claim that "Taiwan's sovereignty is undecided."
Huang Pengxiao believes that the People's Republic of China is now continuing the Kuomintang's lies, wanting to replace the Kuomintang's ruling position with the Communist Party, and the People's Republic of China to eliminate the Republic of China and inherit its international power. It claims sovereignty over Taiwan and is rebuilding a discourse that Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to China.
Huang Pengxiao: Lai Qingde's commemoration of the European War returns to the historical origin
Huang Pengxiao believes the DPP government is aware of China's conspiracy: "This is why Lai Ching-te proposed commemorating VE Day. It's to return to the origins of history and re-examine the actual circumstances of World War II. Only then can we uncover the root cause of the uncertainty surrounding Taiwan's sovereignty. Ultimately, this is to dispel the People's Republic of China's claim to sovereignty over Taiwan."
On May 8, 1945, Germany formally signed the Instrument of Surrender in Berlin, declaring its unconditional surrender in World War II. The United States and Western Europe commemorate May 8 as Victory in Europe Day, while Russia and other Eastern European countries commemorate the day on May 9 each year. Russia will hold a Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, and the Kremlin has revealed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to attend.
The National Museum of History, Taiwan: Connecting Taiwan's subjectivity to the global perspective of World War II history echoes support from pro-Taiwan countries.
Chen Yishen, director of Taiwan's National History Museum, pointed out in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the so-called "Eight-Year War of Resistance" lasted two years after the Lugou Bridge Incident and ended in 1945, until 1947.
Chen Yi-shen believes that Lai Ching-te, following Tsai Ing-wen's lead, has moved away from a historical perspective focused on China, viewing World War II from a global perspective, linking Taiwan's subjectivity to a global historical perspective, not just from an East Asian perspective. This is a clever move by the Presidential Office staff, and it also connects to current events, responding to pro-Taiwan countries' repeated attempts to overturn Beijing's distorted interpretation of UN Resolution 2758, emphasizing that the resolution does not involve Taiwan, but only addresses the issue of China's representation.
Chen Yishen stated that the main battles were fought by the Nationalist army, while the CCP exploited the war to strengthen itself. This is a well-established view in historical circles. During Ma Ying-jeou's presidency, he held a symposium on the 70th anniversary of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Minister Hau Pei-tsun, for example, stated that the CCP cannot usurp the right to speak about the war. The CCP dares not deny the Kuomintang's leadership and Chiang Kai-shek's leadership of the war. As President Lai Ching-te commemorates World War II today, the crisis that needs to be addressed is the question of Taiwan's existence and security.
Chen Yishen stated, "We must fight back and defend ourselves, not just by relying on our own rhetoric and strength, but also by coordinating with friendly nations. This is why, since last year, many friendly nations have echoed our Ministry of Foreign Affairs' call. UN Resolution 2758 does not, as the CCP claims, cover Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. Taiwan's president's discussion of World War II as not just the Sino-Japanese War, but also encompassing global European issues, is a very good and appropriate perspective."
Last year, Lai Ching-te said that if China advocates for so-called "territorial integrity," it should reclaim the territory ceded to Russia in the 19th century. Reuters, citing sources, revealed that Taiwan's president chose the Taipei Guest House, a building from the Japanese colonial era, as the venue for his commemoration of the European War, demonstrating Taiwan's independent interpretation of its own history and its control over the war narrative.
Hu Ping, editor-in-chief of Beijing Spring magazine who lives in the United States, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia that Germany was the aggressor on the European battlefield at that time, and Russia's predecessor, the Soviet Union, was the victim and also part of the Allied forces. Lai Ching-te's reflection on World War II and warning against the intensified aggression by China and Russia was a bit blunt.
Hu Ping said: "In the past, commemorations of World War II were mainly for the Allies to commemorate victory and condemn Germany and Japan. Now that 80 years have passed, condemning Germany and Japan is meaningless. If you suddenly bring up the fact that China and Russia now want to invade others, it doesn't fit in well with this context."
Regarding Xi Jinping's plan to attend Russia's grand military parade, Hu Ping stated that during World War II, China stood alongside the Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States, all of whom were allies. Now that Russia is commemorating the event, it makes sense for Chinese leaders to attend. "It would further demonstrate support for Russia's current actions and also imply a pro-Russian stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, which has a dual meaning."
Hu Ping mentioned that after the Hu-Wen era, everyone in China with some knowledge now knows that China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was mainly fought by the Kuomintang and the National Army. The leaders of the Communist Party of China will only talk about it vaguely and dare not emphasize the role of the Communist Army in a high-profile manner. Otherwise, when the truth is revealed, everyone will know that the Communist Party is bragging and lying and will regard it as a joke.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Gu Lizhong said earlier that the People’s Republic of China could not fight a war that “had not yet been born”, and that the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was fought by the “Republic of China Army”. The Taiwan military also emphasized that the biggest warning that World War II gave to the world was “anti-aggression”.
