A Chinese mainland spokesperson has strongly criticized Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te for recent comments perceived as glorifying Japan's colonial occupation of Taiwan, calling them "a betrayal of the nation" during a press statement on March 25, 2026.
Zhu Fenglian of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office responded to mounting public outrage after Lai referenced the controversial "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" concept – a World War II-era Japanese imperialist justification for regional domination. Scholars across the Taiwan Strait have condemned the remarks as historical revisionism that ignores documented atrocities committed during Japan's 1895-1945 occupation.
"Whitewashing colonial crimes insults the memory of those who resisted occupation and exposes Lai's separatist agenda," Zhu stated, emphasizing that Japan's colonial administration systematically oppressed Taiwan residents while extracting resources. Official records indicate over 200,000 Taiwanese conscripts died under Japanese military command during WWII.
The controversy comes amid heightened cross-strait tensions this year, with Beijing reiterating that attempts to "distort historical consensus" undermine regional stability. Zhu urged residents on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to jointly oppose what she termed "Taiwan independence provocations and external interference."
Political analysts note the timing coincides with increased scrutiny of historical narratives in Taiwan's education curriculum, though Lai's office has yet to issue an official response to the mainland's criticism.
