Taiwan pushes back on Beijing’s WWII narrative

Taiwan has challenged Beijing’s account of World War Two history after Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump highlighted the wartime cooperation between China and the United States during their recent summit.

Taipei is concerned that Beijing’s version of the war could gain greater acceptance in Washington and affect US support for Taiwan, which relies heavily on the United States for military supplies.

Taiwanese officials argue that the Republic of China was the government representing China during World War Two and fought alongside the Allied powers. The Republic of China government later moved to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong’s communist forces.

Beijing, meanwhile, credits communist guerrilla forces with playing a central role in resisting Japan. China’s official historical account gives comparatively less emphasis to the role of the Republic of China forces.

During a state dinner in Washington last week, Xi and Trump spoke positively about the US-China wartime alliance. A White House fact sheet said the two countries had fought alongside each other as allies during World War Two.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said Beijing was seeking to shape the international understanding of the war around the People’s Republic of China. Officials said Taipei would continue engaging with US policymakers to highlight the Republic of China’s wartime role.

Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister also accused Beijing of attempting to replace the Republic of China’s historical contribution with its own account.

The historical dispute has remained sensitive between Beijing and Taipei for decades. Taiwan’s government has previously accused China of promoting what it considers a distorted version of wartime history.

The issue is also debated within Taiwan. The opposition Kuomintang, which governed the Republic of China during World War Two, said the historical record should be recognised but accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of using history selectively for political purposes.

Taiwan was under Japanese rule from 1895 until 1945, adding another dimension to the island’s debate over its wartime history and relationship with China.