Lai ripped for 'distorting' WWII history

A Chinese mainland spokesman on Wednesday strongly criticized Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te for "distorting" the history of World War II and disregarding the suffering of people in Taiwan under Japanese occupation, accusing him of pushing a separatist narrative.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks following criticism in Taiwan of Lai's recent speech at an event marking the end of World War II, where he promoted "pro-independence" rhetoric.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the World Anti-Fascist War, and the restoration of Taiwan.

"As the main battlefield in Asia, China paid a staggering price with over 35 million military and civilian casualties and ultimately secured a great victory," Chen said. He added that Taiwan's return to China in 1945 was a key outcome of the war and part of the postwar international order.

In his speech, Lai made no mention of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, instead warning that Taiwan and Europe were facing the threat of "a new authoritarian bloc".

Chen accused Lai of conflating the anti-fascist struggle of World War II with the Democratic Progressive Party's separatist ambitions. He said Lai was using a false narrative of "democracy against authoritarianism" to deceive the public and international opinion.

"Eighty years ago, China defeated the brutal Japanese invaders and recovered Taiwan. Eighty years later, a stronger China will never allow Taiwan to be separated from the country," Chen said.

Public criticism in Taiwan has also targeted Lai for what some call "selective amnesia" regarding Japan's colonial-era atrocities, including the massacre of Taiwan people.

Instead, Lai attended a memorial in Tainan for Hatta Yoichi, a Japanese engineer who worked in Taiwan during Japan's occupation. There, he compared Taiwan-Japan relations to "family ties".

Ni Yongjie, director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, said some DPP politicians and separatists have long "taken the foe for one's father" by glorifying Japan's colonial rule and ignoring its wartime crimes, including the killing of an estimated 650,000 Taiwan people.

"They shamelessly praise Japanese aggression, celebrate Hatta Yoichi's so-called contributions to Taiwan's water facilities and willingly accept the humiliation of colonial enslavement," Ni said.

Lai's actions, he added, have taken the "pro-independence "narrative to an "unimaginable level", disregarding historical facts and undermining the postwar international order.