Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that Beijing insists on claiming as part of its territory, has frequently condemned China for what Taipei regards as a distorted and self-serving interpretation of World War Two. Taiwan’s leadership emphasizes that during the conflict, it was the Republic of China government that fought alongside the Allied forces, yet Beijing continues to downplay or rewrite this role. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te strongly criticized the dangers of personality cults around authoritarian leaders and the oppressive networks of secret police, making his remarks on the same day that Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a military parade attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to commemorate the end of World War Two.
The Republic of China government, which was then internationally recognized as China, retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated by Mao Zedong’s communist forces in a brutal civil war. Although it lost control over the mainland, it still officially retains the name “Republic of China” to this day. In his Facebook post marking Taiwan’s Armed Forces Day, President Lai reflected on history, noting that it had been General Hsu Yung-chang of the Republic of China who signed Japan’s instrument of surrender on behalf of China. Lai expressed satisfaction that the Axis powers of the past had transformed into democratic nations, underscoring how democracy had emerged from the ruins of fascism.
Expanding on this point, Lai warned about the dangers of fascism, describing it as a broad and complex phenomenon that thrives on extreme nationalism, unrealistic dreams of national rejuvenation, the heavy suppression of free speech, and the curbing of social diversity. He further emphasized that fascism often establishes secret police networks to monitor citizens while glorifying authoritarian figures through cults of personality, practices that echo troubling historical patterns. While Lai did not directly criticize China’s parade or Xi himself, the timing of his message left little doubt about the underlying context, particularly as Xi, standing alongside Putin and Kim, used the occasion to caution the world that it now faces a pivotal choice between peace and war.
Some Taiwanese media outlets broadcast limited segments of the parade, though it lacked the intense saturation coverage seen across Chinese networks. Reactions in Taiwan were mixed. For example, Chen Ho-chien, a 29-year-old restaurant owner in Taipei, expressed concern that the joint appearance of Xi, Putin, and Kim symbolized an intent to use force not only against Taiwan but also to send a threatening signal to Western nations. On the same day, while Beijing was celebrating its military spectacle, President Lai attended a solemn memorial ceremony at the National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine in Taipei, paying tribute to those who had given their lives for the Republic of China, including those who fought against Japan during the Second World War and later resisted the communists.
Beijing remains hostile toward Lai, branding him a “separatist” because of his firm belief that only Taiwan’s people have the right to decide their future. His repeated calls for dialogue have been rejected, and instead, China has sharply escalated military pressure on Taiwan by staging large-scale exercises and war games close to the island’s borders. The Taiwanese government officially discouraged its citizens from participating in Beijing’s parade, yet a handful still appeared, most notably Hung Hsiu-chu, the former chairwoman of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). Historically, the KMT was the ruling party of the Republic of China during the war against Japan, and it too fled to Taiwan along with the republican government in 1949 after the civil war defeat. However, the party did not dispatch any formal delegation to the Beijing parade, reflecting the cautious and complicated stance it maintains in relation to China today.
