President William Lai (賴清德) on Friday gave a speech in Kinmen to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou, when Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) forces defeated the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in a decisive turning point in the Chinese Civil War.
The battle, which became known as the Great Victory at Guningtou (古寧頭大捷) in Taiwan, or “The Battle of Quemoy” in Western historiography, is viewed as the battle which not only halted the momentum of the PLA and saved Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) forces in Taiwan, but also set the stage for the Cold War in Asia.
“It was the battle that saved the Republic of China [ROC] ... turning the tide of history and sealing for the future the general pattern of the Cold War confrontation in Asia,” military analyst and former On Taiwan columnist Miles Yu (余茂春) wrote in an analysis of the battle.
Compared with his predecessor, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Lai is taking a more robust approach to the history of the Republic of China, especially its military history, consolidating the nation’s and military’s identity around the ROC as a symbol of resistance against communist China and as the defender of modern Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.
“The Battle of Guningtou makes us realize that democracy and freedom are not something to be taken for granted,” Lai said. “We treasure a democratic and free way of life, and we cannot, and will not, allow any external force to change the future of Taiwan.”
Throughout the Cold War, the Battle of Guningtou was a “focal point and symbol of the epic struggle between communist and noncommunist forces,” Yu wrote.
Lai is channeling this Cold War history and repurposing it for the present.
Unlike his Democratic Progressive Party predecessors Tsai and former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Lai served in the military — he was even deployed to Kinmen as a captain with the Medical Platoon of the 824th Division’s 5th Infantry Battalion — an experience which no doubt shaped his worldview and makes him more comfortable speaking about the military and the ROC’s history.
The importance of the victory in the Battle of Guningtou is that it prevented the PLA from attaining a staging ground — Kinmen Island — from which to launch an invasion of Taiwan proper.
At the time of the battle, Kinmen “assumed supreme strategic importance,” as whoever controlled it “controll[ed] the sea access in and out of Xiamen and the adjacent coastal areas,” Yu wrote.
The PLA experienced a crushing defeat — three regiments totaling more than 9,000 soldiers were entirely wiped out — but it also served as a lesson, which was that an amphibious invasion of Taiwan would require a different set of skills and equipment than war on land.
“After the defeat at Quemoy, we learned our lesson; our head became more clear and lucid. Perhaps the real significance of learning from the lessons and experience of our Quemoy operation lies exactly here,” former PLA general Ye Fei (葉飛) had said.
For Taiwan, the battle is a reminder of the heroic sacrifices made by the ROC forces to defend their nation against communism and tyranny, which redounds to the present in the form of Taiwan’s democracy.
It is also a reminder that the PLA never gave up on its ultimate ambition, which is to destroy the ROC’s forces.
For democratic Taiwan, the Battle of Guningtou is a source of pride, of the Taiwanese’s achievements in becoming a peaceful and democratic society, and a reminder that with the PLA waiting in the wings, democracy always needs to be defended and fought for.
In a summer of intense political maneuvering, Taiwanese, whose democratic vibrancy is a constant rebuke to Beijing’s authoritarianism, delivered a powerful verdict not on China, but on their own political leaders. Two high-profile recall campaigns, driven by the ruling party against its opposition, collapsed in failure. It was a clear signal that after months of bitter confrontation, the Taiwanese public is demanding a shift from perpetual campaign mode to the hard work of governing. For Washington and other world capitals, this is more than a distant political drama. The stability of Taiwan is vital, as it serves as a key player
Yesterday’s recall and referendum votes garnered mixed results for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). All seven of the KMT lawmakers up for a recall survived the vote, and by a convincing margin of, on average, 35 percent agreeing versus 65 percent disagreeing. However, the referendum sponsored by the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on restarting the operation of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County failed. Despite three times more “yes” votes than “no,” voter turnout fell short of the threshold. The nation needs energy stability, especially with the complex international security situation and significant challenges regarding
Much like the first round on July 26, Saturday’s second wave of recall elections — this time targeting seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers — also failed. With all 31 KMT legislators who faced recall this summer secure in their posts, the mass recall campaign has come to an end. The outcome was unsurprising. Last month’s across-the-board defeats had already dealt a heavy blow to the morale of recall advocates and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while bolstering the confidence of the KMT and its ally the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). It seemed a foregone conclusion that recalls would falter, as
The fallout from the mass recalls and the referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant continues to monopolize the news. The general consensus is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been bloodied and found wanting, and is in need of reflection and a course correction if it is to avoid electoral defeat. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has not emerged unscathed, either, but has the opportunity of making a relatively clean break. That depends on who the party on Oct. 18 picks to replace outgoing KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫). What is certain is that, with the dust settling
RSS