Taiwan rebuffs China's commemorations for post-World War Two 'restoration' of island — SkimNews
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- Wellington Koo said on Tuesday that China was waging “cognitive warfare” after Beijing marked the 81st anniversary of Japan’s 1945 handover of Taiwan to the Republic of China with satellite images and a military poster.
- China released high-resolution satellite pictures of Taipei on the anniversary, including the train station and National Palace Museum, whose collection contains treasures brought to Taiwan by the Republic of China government in 1949.
- Eastern Theatre Command published a propaganda poster on Sunday showing a map of Taiwan superimposed on fighter jets and warships under the title “Remember the history of the restoration.”
- China was established as the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and Koo said the War of Resistance, which began in 1931, had “absolutely nothing to do” with the PRC.
- Taiwan marked the start of the People’s Liberation Army’s unsuccessful late-October 1949 invasion attempt against Kinmen, a date Koo called “much more worthy of remembering” than the 1945 handover.
- Wellington Koo said Beijing’s determination to annex the Republic of China and Taiwan by force had never changed and urged Taiwan to remain vigilant.
- Japan took over Taiwan from the Qing Dynasty in 1895, ruled it until 1945 and then transferred it to the Republic of China government, an event commemorated by both Beijing and Taipei.
Why it matters: For Taiwan, the 81st anniversary became a counter-commemoration: Koo separated the anti-Japanese resistance from the PRC’s 1949 founding and highlighted the Kinmen invasion attempt. The result was an explicit warning that Beijing’s determination to annex Taiwan by force remains unchanged, alongside a call for greater vigilance.
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