The Ministry of National Defense yesterday called on veterans who fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War not to be influenced by Beijing’s “united front” campaign and to avoid attending an event in September to commemorate what China claims is “the victory of the Chinese people” in the eight-year war.
Ministry spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said that the victory belongs to the Republic of China (ROC) and said that this fact cannot be distorted.
He urged veterans who fought in the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945) to keep the ROC in mind and not to be swayed by Beijing’s unification propaganda, when asked about China’s plan to invite former soldiers to participate in a military parade scheduled for Sept. 3 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Chinese officials earlier yesterday announced that there would be a large-scale event at Tiananmen Square, including a grand military parade, to mark the 70th anniversary of “the Chinese people’s victory” over Japan in the war that ended in 1945. The parade is expected to be attended by some soldiers loyal to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), they said.
Luo called on people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to look squarely at the historical facts and learn the truth behind the war and the importance of peace.
In 1937, the Chinese Communist Party and the KMT agreed to cooperate to defend China against a Japanese invasion, though that cooperation was often cursory at best, he said.
The ROC government relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing to the Chinese communist forces in a civil war, he said.
There will be a military display next month to mark the ROC’s victory over Japan in the war, he added.
The military held a rehearsal yesterday in preparation for the display, scheduled for July 4, at an army base in Hukou, Hsinchu County.
Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻), who presided over the rehearsal, said that the 70th anniversary of the war is a significant moment for the country and for the military, describing the war as the toughest fight in the history of all Chinese people.
Kao added that China has not renounced its attempt to use force against Taiwan and the Taiwanese military must remain on guard, despite warming ties across the Taiwan Strait in recent years.
Rigorous training is key to building combat readiness, he said.
The military display is also a way to test the joint combat capabilities of the army, navy and air force, he said.
He pledged that the military is confident about safeguarding the country no matter what challenges it might encounter.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
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