Taiwan bans officials attending Chinese events to mark island’s ‘retrocession’
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Oct 25 marks the anniversary of Japan handing Taiwan to the Republic of China government in 1945.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI – Taiwanese officials have been banned from attending events held by China next week to mark the 80th anniversary of the island’s “retrocession” to Chinese rule because Beijing is trying to distort history for its own aims, the government said on Oct 17.
Oct 25 marks the anniversary of Japan – which colonised Taiwan in 1895 – handing the island to the Republic of China government in 1945. Both Taipei and Beijing refer to the handover as the “retrocession”.
China and democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, have repeatedly clashed in 2025 over their differing interpretations of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Taiwan says it was the Republic of China that fought the war, not the People’s Republic of China, which was founded by Mao Zedong’s communists in 1949 after they won the civil war.
The Republic of China government fled to Taipei, and the Republic of China remains Taiwan’s formal name.
In a video statement, Mr Chiu Chui-cheng, head of Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council, said Beijing had repeatedly fabricated “false narratives”.
In events related to the “retrocession”, Beijing has sought to “concoct the claim that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China”, he said.
“The ultimate goal is to eliminate the Republic of China and annex Taiwan.”
The government has banned Taiwanese officials, students and teachers from attending any events China may hold around the anniversary, and calls on all others to “put the national interest first” and also not take part, he added.
China – whose Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment – has not yet announced what it might do on or around the anniversary.
On Oct 15, a spokesperson for the office told reporters in Beijing that the “retrocession” was an important outcome of the end of World War II and a great triumph for all Chinese people, including those in Taiwan.
China marked the September anniversary of the end of World War II with a massive military parade
Taipei on Oct 25 will host East Asia’s largest Pride march – a riotous celebration of LGBTQ+ equality and diversity. REUTERS
