Taiwan’s defense minister on Tuesday accused Beijing of engaging in “cognitive warfare” after Chinese authorities marked the anniversary of Japan’s post-World War II handover of the island with satellite imagery of Taipei and military propaganda.
Japan seized control of Taiwan from China’s Qing Dynasty in 1895 and governed the island until 1945, at which point sovereignty was transferred to the Republic of China government. Both Beijing and Taipei observe the historical milestone, which marks its 81st year.
To observe the anniversary on Sunday, China published high-resolution satellite photographs focusing on key locations in Taipei, such as the main railway station and the National Palace Museum. The museum houses an extensive repository of imperial treasures transported to Taiwan in 1949, when the Republic of China government relocated to the island following its defeat by communist forces in the civil war.
Simultaneously, the Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese military released a propaganda poster featuring a map of Taiwan layered over graphics of fighter jets and warships, bearing the title “Remember the history of the restoration.”
Addressing reporters at the parliament building in Taipei on Tuesday, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo strongly rejected Beijing’s narrative surrounding the historical event.
“We must stress that the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949. The War of Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the People’s Republic of China — this is a clear, objective fact,” Koo stated, referencing World War Two and the Japanese invasion that began in 1931.
Instead of focusing on the 1945 handover, Taiwan’s military marked a different historical date: the late-October 1949 invasion attempt by the People’s Liberation Army against Kinmen, an island group positioned directly off the Chinese coast that remains under Taipei’s administration. That offensive was ultimately unsuccessful.
Koo emphasized that the anniversary of the Kinmen defense is far more significant for contemporary security.
“This reminds us once again that China’s determination to annex the Republic of China and Taiwan by force has never changed. We should be even more vigilant,” Koo added.
Beijing maintains its refusal to renounce the potential use of force to bring Taiwan under its authority, while the democratically elected administration in Taipei consistently rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims. Neither government formally recognizes the other, leaving their shared World War Two history as a persistent point of friction.
