Taipei resists Xi bid to win over Trump on WWII narrative

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Taipei is challenging Beijing's efforts to rewrite the World War II historical narrative after a summit where Chinese and American leaders praised their wartime alliance, which Taiwan fears could reduce U.S. support. This dispute highlights ongoing tensions over Taiwan's identity and historical legacy, with implications for its diplomatic relations and efforts to counter Chinese influence.

Taipei is contesting Beijing’s efforts to reshape the historical narrative of World War II following a recent summit in Washington where Chinese President Xi Jinping and former U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted the wartime alliance between their countries. Taiwanese officials expressed concern that this portrayal may influence U.S. perceptions and potentially diminish American support for Taiwan, a key arms recipient.

Taiwan, which operates as a democratic entity but is claimed by China, asserts that Beijing’s version of history is misleading. The island’s government traces its legacy to the Republic of China (ROC), the ruling authority during World War II, which fought alongside the Allies against Japan. After losing the Chinese civil war, the ROC government relocated to Taiwan in 1949 but has maintained its official designation.

Beijing’s official account, however, emphasizes the role of communist guerrillas as the primary force resisting Japanese occupation, largely downplaying or omitting the contributions of the ROC forces. At the Sept. 24 state dinner in Washington, Xi and Trump both praised the cooperation between their nations during the conflict, a framing that Taipei views as an attempt to seize the historical narrative away from the ROC.

Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu accused Beijing of seeking to “replace the Republic of China’s role during World War II,” describing the campaign as a distressing effort to overwrite accurate history. In 2025, during the 80th anniversary of the war’s conclusion, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei warned that China has been spreading “false” narratives about the war in an effort to pressure Taiwan.

Academic voices in Taiwan have echoed these concerns. Chen Fang-yu, associate professor at Soochow University in Taipei, described China’s propaganda apparatus as formidable, noting its attempts to influence U.S. public opinion and policymakers. He emphasized the challenge Taiwan faces in countering Beijing’s historical framing, especially within the American context.

The legacy of World War II remains contentious within Taiwan itself, complicated by its history as a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945. The island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) tends to emphasize a distinct Taiwanese identity separate from China, influencing how history is interpreted domestically.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT)—which held power as the ROC ruling party during the war—criticized the current government for selectively invoking the pre-1949 Republic of China history. The KMT suggested that President Lai Ching-te’s administration uses wartime history primarily as a tool to confront Beijing and compete over historical narratives, rather than as a consistent framework for understanding Taiwan’s past.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.