China is expected to launch a series of “united front” activites against Taiwan that would peak in the second half of the year, a national security official said yesterday.
Starting this month, China would use the “three 80th anniversaries” — the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (as China refers to the Second Sino-Japanese War), the UN’s 80th anniversary and the 80th anniversary of the retrocession of Taiwan — to launch its international warfare, they said.
China would distort history and claim that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the official said, adding that it would use cross-strait lawfare extensively in the second half of the year to position itself, and invite prominent Taiwanese figures to back up its claims.
Photo: Reuters
The peak period of China’s “united front” work is about to begin, they said.
Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had hardly contributed to the Second Sino-Japanese War, was ambiguous against authoritarianism and had nothing to do with the retrocession of Taiwan, China would use the three anniversaries to claim that China established the international order after World War II, they said.
China would say that it determined that Taiwan belongs to China during the war against Japan, that “Taiwan is part of the PRC” is the international order and continue to misinterpret UN Resolution 2758, they added.
The united front work would continue until October, the official said.
Before Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) visited Moscow on May 9, he submitted an opinion piece to a Russian newspaper, in which he said that “this year is the 80th anniversary of the retrocession of Taiwan” and that the nation’s return to China was a result of its victory in World War II and an important part of the post-war international order, the official said.
During the opening ceremony of the Straits Forum last month, CCP Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) said that this year marks the 80th anniversaries of winning the war against Japan, victory in the anti-fascist war and Taiwan’s retrocession, the official said.
Wang also said they are a witness to “compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait defending the dignity of the Zhonghua minzu (中華民族, Chinese ethnic group) together and protecting our shared homeland,” they added.
On June 10, the China Review Think Tank Foundation and the Cross-Strait Relations Research Center at Renmin University of China cohosted an event focused on “the three 80th anniversaries and the Taiwan issue,” using the anniversaries to claim that the post-war international order has confirmed that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, the official said.
State-controlled media in Hong Kong and Macau also published commentaries to reinforce Beijing’s claims, such as the China Review News Agency saying that historical justice must be remembered and that the legal basis of Taiwan’s retrocession must be defended, they said.
It also mentioned that the “three 80th anniversaries” underlined that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, and that the “legal basis” is rooted in the post-war international order and the result of World War II, they added.
The State Council of China has already announced its plans for “the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression,” the official said.
The plans include a grand military parade, a major speech by Xi on Sept. 3, a symposium with people from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and other countries, and an international academic conference, they said.
It also includes a conference for the 80th anniversary of “Taiwan’s retrocession” on Oct. 25 and a national memorial ceremony for the victims of the Nanjing massacre on Dec. 13, they added.
The real “liberation” should come from the people truly enjoying democracy and freedom, and the real “retrocession” should be that sovereignty resides in the people and that the regime can be changed through their will, the official said.
The Chinese government should not spend so much effort in distorting history, but instead divert that effort in the right direction, they added.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
RSS