China is attempting to skew global perceptions of World War II and the government must continue to urge the international community to jointly face the challenge posed by authoritarian states, a source familiar with foreign affairs said on Thursday on condition of anonymity.
President William Lai’s (賴清德) speech on Thursday commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II emphasized that “the invaders always lose, and victory is assured by standing together,” the source said.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hindered the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) attempts at resisting Japan’s advances during World War II, but is now hosting a series of events telling the international community a different version of history, the source said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
China is framing the anniversary as a commemoration of resisting Japan and fighting fascism, with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) celebrating with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Starting last year, China has been stepping up its efforts to spread the revisionist message that it was one of the victorious nations in World War II and that it should also shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the post-war world order, the source said.
Their rhetoric suggests that challenging China would upset the world order, and that its actions within the region, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are legitimate, they said.
China is also attempting to legitimize its claim over Taiwan by saying that it was returned to China when World War II ended, they added.
This phase of Chinese propaganda is expected to last until the conclusion of the military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3, which marks the commemoration of the country’s victory over Japan, the source said.
The CCP would continue its efforts to get Taiwanese politicians and groups to participate in its anniversary celebrations in an attempt to skew the interpretation of the war’s history in China’s favor, they said.
The central theme of Lai’s speech is that the international community must learn from history and act pre-emptively, the source said.
It is not difficult to imagine that state players are using force to destroy undersea cables, infrastructure or launch cyberattacks to further its geopolitical agenda, nor is it inconceivable that foreign forces would attempt to use information warfare to intervene in the elections of democratic countries, the source said, citing the president’s speech.
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