By Li Hsien-chih | 2025-05-22

Taiwan on May 8 commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe by holding its first-ever Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) event.

President William Lai Ching-te delivered a speech to representatives from 17 European countries and the European Union emphasizing that both Taiwan and Europe face threats from a "new authoritarian bloc."

He urged the democratic community of nations to unite in resisting aggression and authoritarian expansion.

Appeasement only makes aggressors "hungrier for more," he said.

The painful experience of World War II taught the world that freedom and democracy must be protected by strength, he said.

Lai warned against repeating prewar appeasement policies. Aggression must not be taken lightly, he said.

The system of cooperation among democratic nations since World War II is not just a product of history but the foundation for confronting today's authoritarian expansion, he said.

Lai reiterated the shared threat from the "new authoritarian bloc," urging democracies to "work together now in tight solidarity, before risks turn into crises and before crises are taken advantage of by those with ambitions for outward expansion."

Lai's remarks were intended to show that Taiwan is not merely a regional concern in Asia but an important democratic partner in countering the growing authoritarian expansion by China and Russia, say observers.

Europe's experience in World War II offers crucial lessons for today, Tan Yao-nan, director-general of Taiwan's Cross-Strait Policy Association, emphasized.

In an interview with CommonWealth Magazine, he echoed Lai by noting the failed Western policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany.

Western states expected peace agreements and concessions to ensure stability but got total war instead, he said.

Rewriting history

Today, Taiwan faces a broad range of security challenges from China.

These include frequent incursions by People's Liberation Army aircraft and ships, suspected sabotage of undersea cables, economic coercion and ongoing information warfare, all of which together present a comprehensive threat.

In direct opposition to the celebration of democracy in Taipei, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended Russia's Victory Day military parade on May 9. He stood alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

Ahead of his visit to Moscow, Xi published a signed article in the Russian state newspaper Russian Gazette, asserting, "Taiwan's restoration to China is a victorious outcome of WWII and an integral part of the postwar international order."

The Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation "affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan," he claimed, adding that the authority of United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 2758 "brooks no challenge" and that the trend toward "inevitable reunification" with Taiwan is "unstoppable."

Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, seated Beijing at the UN and expelled Taipei.

The Republic of China (ROC) was among the Allied nations that defeated Nazi Germany in World War II, establishing anti-fascism as a global norm, Chang Kuo-cheng, an advisory member of Taiwan Think Tank, noted to Focus.

The ROC lost the Chinese civil war in 1949, and its leaders fled to Taiwan.

The attendance of European representatives at the commemorative event in Taipei affirmed the ROC's historical contribution 80 years ago, said Chang.

Xi's claims are meant to rewrite historical narratives and distort international legal norms, he added.

Beijing's time travel

The Cairo Declaration (issued in 1943) and the Potsdam Proclamation (1945) stated Japan must return Taiwan to the ROC, Chang noted.

The People's Republic of China, however, was not established until 1949 and thus did not exist at the time of these declarations, he added.

Xi's latest remarks come as China has continued to block Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly this year, claiming that Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party "stubbornly adheres to the position of Taiwan independence separatism" and that this exclusion has international support.

The relevant UN resolutions, such as Resolution 2758, do not mention Taiwan, nor do they authorize China to represent it, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said.

Beijing's legal justification lacks foundation, it said.

In early May, the US House of Representatives passed the Taiwan International Solidarity Act by unanimous voice vote.

The act explicitly states that Resolution 2758 does not address the representation of Taiwan or its people in the United Nations. It also calls on the United States to use its influence to resist Beijing's efforts to misinterpret international resolutions in global organizations.