Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made seriously erroneous Taiwan-related remarks, prompting stern representations and strong protests from China. While Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait jointly denounced Takaichi's blatant provocation, Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) authorities shamelessly echoed her remarks, willingly acting as mouthpieces for Japan's anti-China forces and seizing the opportunity to slander and attack the mainland. They have completely lost their national stance and moral compass, indiscriminately tying the people of Taiwan to a "dual-driven war chariot" constructed by "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and external interference forces, pushing Taiwan toward even greater danger. This once again confirms that "Taiwan independence" separatist forces are anti-human, anti-justice, unconscionable, and shameless.
On the Taiwan question, the Japanese side bears historical responsibilities to the Chinese people for its past crimes, including the atrocities committed against the people in Taiwan during its colonial rule. Sanae Takaichi, as Japan's Prime Minister, has shown no reflection or remorse for these historical responsibilities. Instead, she made extremely erroneous, highly dangerous and provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, which seriously harmed the national feelings and overall interests of all Chinese people, including the Taiwan compatriots. In this context, Lai Ching-te, as the leader of the Taiwan region, not only failed to condemn Takaichi but actually sided with her, placing himself in opposition to the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots. On November 17, he brazenly claimed that "China is carrying out a multifaceted attack on Japan, severely undermining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific." And the DPP authorities shamelessly followed suit, falsely labeling the CPC as "the destabilizing factor in the Asia-Pacific." Colluding with vicious Japanese right-wing figures, these "Taiwan independence" separatist politicians are nothing but traitors to the nation and a disgrace to Taiwan.
It seems that decency, justice, and public conscience are long forgotten by Lai Ching-te. We must ask him:
By cozying up to Japanese right-wing politicians and aiding their attempt to resurrect militarism, do you have any respect for the hundreds of thousands of Taiwan compatriots who were killed during the Japanese colonial period?
For your own selfish ambitions, you are helping these reckless Japanese politicians fan anti-China sentiments and pushing Taiwan closer to the brink of conflict. How can you still claim to "love Taiwan" or "protect Taiwan"?
With declining public support, you are treating the fundamental interests of the nation and the safety and well-being of Taiwan people as mere political bargaining chips and wagers for power. Do you really think that groveling to external forces will secure your own survival?
Facts are the best mirror that reveals one's true nature. The latest remarks of Lai Ching-te are by no means a momentary impulse. They stem from the "political legacy" he inherited from Lee Teng-hui, one element of which is a deeply rooted pro-Japanese-aggressor sentiment. Since entering politics, especially after taking office last year, Lai has consistently tried to downplay and deny Japan's occupation of China's Taiwan, whitewash Japan's colonial rule, and erase the shared history of cross-strait resistance against Japanese aggression. This year, as people across the Strait solemnly commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and Taiwan's Restoration, Lai first stood on the side of the aggressor by calling the victory "the End of the War". Now, he goes further by echoing Japanese right-wing forces in hyping the notion that "a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency." Such acts of forgetting one's ancestors, dishonoring the heroes of the past, and betraying historical truth lay bare his willingness to collude with Japanese right-wing forces in a servile manner in order to pursue his separatist agenda and personal political interests. By treating the well-being of Taiwan residents and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait as disposable, and by selling out the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, he is making a grave historical mistake that must be firmly opposed and resolutely resisted by compatriots on both sides of the Strait.
History is the best wake-up call. In the darkest years of the Chinese nation, people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait fought shoulder to shoulder against foreign aggression, shedding blood together. Eighty years ago, the Chinese people defeated the Japanese invaders once and for all, and Taiwan was restored and returned to the motherland. Eighty years later, the Chinese government, the Chinese people, and the Chinese military will never accept, tolerate or allow anyone to challenge China's core interests and obstruct national reunification, and will never tolerate anyone to betray the nation and seek to divide the country. Where justice lies and where the trend of history leads, compatriots across the Strait will unite even more closely, working together to safeguard national dignity and defend the reunification of the motherland.
The tide of history rolls forward with unstoppable force, and all countercurrents are doomed to be crushed. This is a stern warning to the Lai Ching-te authorities and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. If they persist on the dead-end path of secession and reckless provocation, they will only hasten their own destruction, and a disgraceful fate in the pages of history is already sealed.
Editor's note: Originally published on www.news.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.