Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration. Over the years, the Chinese mainland has repeatedly invited compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, including Kuomintang veterans who fought in the war against Japanese aggression, to participate in commemorations. This is both a reverence for historical facts and the highest tribute to our heroic predecessors. It is the natural duty of fellow countrymen on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to join hands in commemorating the event, sharing the glory, and paying tribute to the heroes. However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have blatantly wielded the "green terror" stick to intimidate and obstruct veterans from traveling to the mainland to commemorate the event, trampling underfoot the great cause of national justice. Lai Ching-te and the DPP authorities' betrayal of history and the nation is glaringly obvious. Neither the people nor history will forgive them.

The DPP authorities' blocking of veterans who fought in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression from traveling to the Chinese mainland is a clumsy attempt to obscure history and evade the truth. The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a just war fought by the entire Chinese nation against aggression. The people of the Chinese nation, regardless of party affiliation or region, united in their hatred of the enemy, forged a monumental national legacy and wrote a magnificent epic of blood and war. In times of national crisis, veterans in Taiwan bravely stepped forward, sacrificing their lives to fight the Japanese invaders. Their heroic deeds are an integral part of the Chinese nation's shared memory and bear witness to the collective honor and disgrace experienced by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Their sacrifices deserve to be remembered by both sides of the Taiwan Straits, and their spirit should be celebrated and passed down through generations of the Chinese nation.

What is both shocking and infuriating is that the DPP authorities not only refuse to hold commemorative events for the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, but also smear the participation of veteran soldiers from Taiwan in mainland's commemorations as "united front tactics" and "cognitive warfare." They have even gone so far as to threaten these veterans with the revocation of their pensions, which has completely torn off Lai's hypocritical mask and laid bare the DPP's true nature as a "green terror" regime rooted in authoritarianism.

On the issue of wartime history, the DPP authorities have long pushed for "de-Sinicization," deliberately obscuring and distorting Taiwan's historical role in the war, and forcibly severing the deep-rooted blood ties between the residents of Taiwan and the Chinese nation. They seek to make the younger generation forget the bloody sacrifices of their forebears and to detach Taiwan society from its historical identity as part of the Chinese nation. Such shameless manipulation is not only a grave betrayal of historical truth but also a disgraceful insult to the martyrs who gave their lives in the war. 

The Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation, and other historically and legally binding documents have long established the undeniable fact: Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory. Taiwan's residents have always been members of the Chinese nation - they are Chinese. During the war, countless Taiwan compatriots fought shoulder to shoulder with their mainland counterparts, shedding blood and sacrificing together. This shared historical memory reinforces the recognition of a common destiny across the Taiwan Straits. Such history cannot simply be erased by a DPP ban.

Today, the DPP authorities are heading further down the dangerous path of "soliciting foreign support for independence" while fawning over Japan and selling out Taiwan. Lai has gone out of his way to downplay Japan's fascist atrocities in China. In Taiwan's curricula and textbooks, key historical facts about the war have been heavily cut or distorted, even whitewashing colonial rule. The crimes of Japan's occupation of Taiwan are ignored, and its responsibility for World War II is downplayed. Resisting Japanese fascism was a glorious chapter in the global anti-fascist alliance, with China playing a vital role. Commemorating the victory in the War of Resistance is a shared responsibility of all humanity - to honor justice and remember peace.

The Lai authorities are going against the historical tide, attempting to glorify aggression and erase Taiwan's contributions to the Anti-Fascist War. In essence, they are denying the international consensus established after World War II and positioning themselves against the global community that cherishes peace and opposes fascism. This not only brings shame to Taiwan but also makes the DPP a counterexample in the narrative of international justice.

Since Lai took office, the DPP authorities have struggled to achieve any significant accomplishments, while social conflicts have become increasingly acute. The "Taiwan independence" agenda faces growing opposition, and recently, it has backfired spectacularly. Lai's so-called "10 lectures on unity" are riddled with flaws and have had to be suspended, and the "mass recall" campaign he orchestrated turned into a major failure for the DPP. Lai's "Taiwan independence" policy has reached a dead end. He is well aware of his own lack of virtue and capability and can only seek to sustain his position by continually creating cross-Straits tensions and inciting hatred. Blocking veterans who fought in the war against Japanese aggression from visiting the mainland is a typical tactic he uses to manipulate populism on the island and escalate confrontation, which has already drawn widespread condemnation from the public in Taiwan.

Although most veterans are nearly a hundred years old, their patriotism and national spirit are more noble and resilient than any "Taiwan independence" politician. They have written a glorious chapter in the history of the Chinese nation's united resistance against foreign aggression through their personal experiences. Their very existence is the most powerful rebuttal to Lai's lies.

History is not something the DPP authorities can arbitrarily distort, divide, or erase. They may be able to block veterans from traveling to the mainland, but they cannot hinder the march of national rejuvenation. They can manipulate "cognitive rhetoric," but ultimately, they cannot escape the judgment of history and the people. 
All political clowns who betray the nation, sever history, and trample on conscience will eventually be reduced to ashes in the torrent of history. Let's pay tribute to the veterans who fought in the war against Japanese aggression, remember those bloody years of struggle, and join hands to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the Chinese Dream.