Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu has called on Taiwanese planning to attend Chinese-sponsored events commemorating the end of WWII to support the Republic of China’s view of history.
The Republic of China is Taiwan’s official name, and was the official name of Mainland China prior to the Communist takeover of 1949.
Chu’s call comes in response to the announcement that former party chairman Lien Chan and several retired generals plan to attend a military parade in Beijing on September 3. The parade will celebrate China’s victory over Japan during WWII.
However, Chu said it is important for Taiwanese in attendance to acknowledge that it was the KMT that led China through the war. Chu said that the Chinese Communist Party’s refusal to acknowledge KMT leadership during the war is the reason that no current KMT officials will be attending events being held in China to commemorate the war’s end.