The ruling party and the opposition in Taiwan divided over the September 3 parade in Beijing, leading to controversy
On September 3 in Beijing, a parade was held on Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. Alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong Un were also present.
Opponents and “partners” of the three countries reacted accordingly. Donald Trump, for example, asked Xi Jinping to pass along greetings to those conspiring against the USA. As expected, Taiwan did not stay on the sidelines.
President Lai Ching-te declared that Taiwan does not believe in commemorating peace with the barrel of a gun. Wu Jun-zhi, head of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs, went even further, saying that while holding large-scale military parades this year, Russia and China are allegedly engaging in militarism and belligerence that, according to her, pose a serious threat to world peace
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council stated that the Chinese Communists and Xi Jinping personally distort history, seeking to claim all the credit for victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War (as China refers to its conflict with Japan in the 1930s–1940s) and to deprive the then-existing Republic of China of its role.
Taiwan considers itself the successor to the Republic of China, in contrast to the People’s Republic of China, established by the Chinese Communist Party after its victory in the Chinese Civil War over Kuomintang-led forces, whose supporters retreated to the island in 1949.
However, within the seemingly logical narrative of Taiwan’s ruling party, which claims to defend the honor and dignity of the Republic of China, lies a rather questionable point, highlighted by the stance of the Kuomintang, which is currently in opposition.
The weakness of the DPP’s stance was revealed by a scandal that broke out on the island even before the parade. The reason: former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu traveled to Beijing.
She declared it her responsibility to uphold the Kuomintang’s spirit of resistance by attending the parade. After all, it was the KMT that overthrew the Qing dynasty and established the Republic of China. In her view, the war of resistance against Japanese aggression was a struggle for the survival of the Chinese nation, and shared history is above political parties and provinces. History must not be forgotten or distorted, she insisted.
Taiwanese authorities banned officials from participating in the parade and heavily criticized Hung Hsiu-chu, claiming her actions supported authoritarianism and disgraced both herself and the KMT by standing alongside “dictators.”
Official representatives of the KMT stated that Hung’s visit was private and did not reflect the party’s current stance. Current KMT chairman Eric Chu stressed that his party, under Chiang Kai-shek, bore the main burden of the war effort. The Communists also contributed, he acknowledged, but they should not obscure the fact that the KMT was the primary opponent of the Japanese.
And therein lies the weak point of the DPP’s position. Both the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communists fought against a common enemy during the war, defending China. They still agree on this today, regardless of the conflicts that arose later. Both parties honor their shared history and seek to establish a united China. Their disagreements concern only what kind of China it should be – communist or capitalist.
The DPP’s invocation of the Republic of China of the World War II era, which the current authorities of Taiwan claim to defend against the Chinese Communist Party’s encroachments, is nothing more than a rhetorical device to jab at the CCP. In reality, today’s ruling DPP advocates independence from mainland China and even speaks of the Taiwanese nation who have nothing to do with the Chinese people.
But the founders of the Republic of China, its staunch supporters who defended it with arms against Japanese aggression, later fought the Communists, and, after defeat in the civil war, went into exile in Taiwan, never could they have imagined declaring independence from China.
Thus, the DPP’s appeals to the Republic of China and their defense of its historical dignity ring hollow, especially in light of the events of World War II. The real question is how this is perceived within Taiwan itself and how it will affect the political balance on the island.
This is a translation of the article by Boris Lyubimov first published on Rossa Primavera News Agency’s website on September 5.
