The lead-up to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is shaping up to be incendiary — here in Taiwan as well as in Beijing and Moscow.
China has announced plans to hold a military parade, most likely in early September, to mark the anniversary of the defeat of Japan in 1945, along with a reception and evening gala to be hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Russia is to hold its annual Victory Day parade on May 9, amid reports that Moscow and Beijing are planning some joint commemoration events.
The Executive Yuan has announced a series of 16 events to be held from July through Oct. 25 to mark the Republic of China’s (ROC) victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the retrocession of Taiwan, with the Ministry of National Defense saying on Monday that it would hold its first military parade to mark the anniversary at a base in Hsinchu in July.
All three hosts are inviting people and organizations from around the world. However, not all are being well-received. Geopolitical tensions have already led to British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel declining Moscow’s invitation because of tensions over the Ukraine crisis, while leaders in France, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are also staying away.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Fan Liqing’s (范麗青) invitation for Taiwan to join its celebrations said that the victory had been one for “the entire nation,” and that Beijing hoped that “people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can always remember history … and rally together through war victory activities.”
However, the Mainland Affairs Council on Wednesday declined Fan’s invitation. The council said it was inappropriate for government officials to take part in memorial events and a military parade hosted by China, adding that there were regulations regarding visits to China by retired government officials and civil servants, and that private citizens “should take into consideration how society might perceive” their taking part in such events.
It sounded like the council has not forgotten the embarrassment caused by former premier and defense minister Hau Pei-tsun’s (郝柏村) visit when he marked the 77th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in China last year by singing the Chinese national anthem — not to mention visits by other retired senior military personnel in recent years.
However, some of Taiwan’s planning sounds like it is driven more by cross-strait rivalry. Government officials have expressed concern that China’s celebrations would downplay the role of Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government and troops in defeating Japan. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said little attention has been paid by the international community to the ROC’s contribution to ending World War II, while Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said the nation could not allow China to change or wipe out history, and that the events held in Taiwan would emphasize historical accuracy.
History is something that both the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party know something about, since they both excel at covering it up and rewriting it. However, neither seems to learn much from it.
Meanwhile, many Taiwanese want to know what commemorating the fighting in China, and arguing over who did what, has to do with them. In the push to ensure that the KMT army gets credit for its actions in China between 1937 and 1945, the government is forgetting that many Taiwanese were drafted or enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army and died fighting for the Japanese empire.
It is yet another example of the disconnect between the KMT and the KMT-led government, with their China-centric historical outlook, and the general public.
US president-elect Donald Trump continues to make nominations for his Cabinet and US agencies, with most of his picks being staunchly against Beijing. For US ambassador to China, Trump has tapped former US senator David Perdue. This appointment makes it crystal clear that Trump has no intention of letting China continue to steal from the US while infiltrating it in a surreptitious quasi-war, harming world peace and stability. Originally earning a name for himself in the business world, Perdue made his start with Chinese supply chains as a manager for several US firms. He later served as the CEO of Reebok and
US$18.278 billion is a simple dollar figure; one that’s illustrative of the first Trump administration’s defense commitment to Taiwan. But what does Donald Trump care for money? During President Trump’s first term, the US defense department approved gross sales of “defense articles and services” to Taiwan of over US$18 billion. In September, the US-Taiwan Business Council compared Trump’s figure to the other four presidential administrations since 1993: President Clinton approved a total of US$8.702 billion from 1993 through 2000. President George W. Bush approved US$15.614 billion in eight years. This total would have been significantly greater had Taiwan’s Kuomintang-controlled Legislative Yuan been cooperative. During
US president-elect Donald Trump in an interview with NBC News on Monday said he would “never say” if the US is committed to defending Taiwan against China. Trump said he would “prefer” that China does not attempt to invade Taiwan, and that he has a “very good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Before committing US troops to defending Taiwan he would “have to negotiate things,” he said. This is a departure from the stance of incumbent US President Joe Biden, who on several occasions expressed resolutely that he would commit US troops in the event of a conflict in
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in recent days was the focus of the media due to his role in arranging a Chinese “student” group to visit Taiwan. While his team defends the visit as friendly, civilized and apolitical, the general impression is that it was a political stunt orchestrated as part of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda, as its members were mainly young communists or university graduates who speak of a future of a unified country. While Ma lived in Taiwan almost his entire life — except during his early childhood in Hong Kong and student years in the US —
RSS