Beijing’s military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II was prominently reported in Taiwan. The event triggered mixed political reactions on the island and reignited long-running disputes over history, identity and cross-strait security.
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The event was live-streamed by all major local media outlets – including pro-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) networks – with viewers either admiring the advanced weapons on display or deriding Beijing for claiming credit for victory in the Chinese theatre of war.
Highlights of China’s military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s WWII surrender
Highlights of China’s military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s WWII surrender
The ruling, independence-leaning DPP condemned Wednesday’s spectacle in Tiananmen Square as an exhibition of Communist Party ambition rather than a commemoration of peace.
In a social media post, the DPP’s China affairs department said the Second World War should have taught humanity the lessons of “opposing aggression” and “pursuing peace”, yet Beijing chose instead to showcase the troops and weapons it now uses to intimidate its neighbours.
The department accused Beijing of militarism “taken to the extreme” and warned that the PLA’s repeated drills in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and East China Sea already posed a serious threat to regional security.
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The post also denounced Beijing’s narrative – including its claim to have been the “pillar” of anti-Japanese resistance and efforts to promote a “shared 14-year war of resistance” – as a distortion of history designed to co-opt Taiwanese voices.