Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has issued a strong response to China’s latest threats, warning that history has proven aggression and expansion ultimately end in failure.
The statement follows remarks from China’s Ministry of National Defense, which reiterated that Taiwan would eventually come under Beijing’s control, likening the island’s resistance to a “mantis trying to stop a chariot.”
Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that Beijing considers part of its territory, has repeatedly raised concerns over increasing Chinese military activity.
This week, Chinese forces conducted drills off Taiwan’s southwestern coast, maneuvers that Beijing described as “routine.” Taiwan’s military dismissed these assertions, instead accusing China of destabilizing regional security and acting as the biggest troublemaker in the international community.
In a statement on Friday, Taiwan’s defense ministry emphasized the historical lessons of World War II, warning that military aggression has historically led to defeat and failure. It condemned China’s escalating military actions, stating that Beijing’s policies were repeating the “mistakes of the invaders” and pushing the country toward self-destruction.
The Taiwan government firmly rejects China’s territorial claims, asserting that only the Taiwanese people can determine the island’s future.
President Lai Ching-te, speaking at a commemoration event in Taipei for the 1947 ‘228 Incident’ uprising, reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to defending its sovereignty and democracy. He accused Beijing of persisting in its attempts to seize Taiwan by force, stressing that the biggest threat to the island’s self-determination remains China.
The issue carries deep historical weight. The 80th anniversary of the end of World War II is being observed this year, a conflict that saw China, then governed by the Republic of China, as a major participant in the fight against Imperial Japan. Today, Beijing often downplays the role of the Republican forces in that war, as the nationalist government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communists.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted Russia’s invitation to attend commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, highlighting Beijing’s continued ties with Moscow amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.