Taiwan is uneasy about the US-China World War II friendship statement and worries that Washington will accept Beijing’s historical narrative

Taiwan is uneasy about China and the United States' depiction of war-war friendship and worries that Washington will accept Beijing's narrative of history, thereby weakening arms sales to Taiwan.

The Taiwanese government pointed out that the version of history promoted by Beijing was distorted. As we all know, it was the government of the "Republic of China" that fought alongside the Allied forces at that time.

After Japan surrendered, the national army of the Republic of China government fought a three-year civil war with the Communist army led by Mao Zedong. They were ultimately defeated and retreated to Taiwan in 1949. However, the country's name of the Republic of China is still used today.

In its narrative of the war of resistance, Beijing has always sought to emphasize the leadership role of the Chinese Communist Party. At a meeting held in Beijing on September 3, 2025 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Xi Jinping said, "Under the banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front advocated by the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people defeated the Japanese aggression with an ironclad and iron-clad fight against the powerful enemy." In China’s official historical narrative, the role played by the Kuomintang’s national army is rarely mentioned.

Last Thursday (September 24), during the welcoming ceremony and state banquet speeches held for Xi Jinping and his wife, the leaders of the United States and China praised the friendship between the two countries that fought side by side during World War II. After the summit, a briefing issued by the White House and the eight-point consensus between China and the United States issued by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs all have relevant records.

Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council: The Republic of China was the solid ally of the United States during World War II

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council refuted the above expression the next day, believing that the above historical narrative about the Anti-Japanese War "cannot stand the test at all, let alone change the objective fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign country." The Mainland Affairs Council also pointed out that "the People's Republic of China, which was only established in 1949, did not exist at all during World War II, and history has proved that according to Mao Zedong's instructions, the CCP only focused on developing itself during World War II. It was seven percent development, two percent coping, and one percent resistance to Japan. The one who truly fought side by side with the United States was the Republic of China." "The CCP spreads a wrong view of history and cannot erase the historical fact that the Republic of China was a solid ally of the United States during World War II."

Wu Chi-chung, Parliamentary Undersecretary of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Reuters that Beijing intended to rewrite "real history." "China is trying to replace the role of the Republic of China during World War II. I think this is a deeply regrettable thing."

On Sunday (September 27), Chen Fangyu, associate professor at Soochow University in Taipei, said at a forum, "The fact we are facing is that the Chinese Communist Party uses huge propaganda resources and uses various means to continuously influence American public opinion and brainwash the people." He believes that the question Taiwan needs to answer is how to deal with this situation.

On the island of Taiwan, there is also controversy over the history of the Anti-Japanese War. Taiwan has a deeper relationship with Japan. After the Sino-Japanese War, the Treaty of Shimonoseki signed between the Qing government and Japan ceded Taiwan and its affiliated islands to Japan. From 1895 to 1945, Taiwan was a colony of Japan. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party has always maintained that Taiwan has an identity and history independent of China.

However, the Kuomintang, the ruling party of the Republic of China during World War II, pointed out that although the government was correct in identifying historical facts, its attack on Beijing was only out of political expediency.

The Kuomintang said that the Lai Ching-te government would only mention the history of the Republic of China before 1949 when it was beneficial to itself. "When they need to confront Beijing and compete for the right to speak, they will bring out the concept of the Republic of China in 1945."