BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te has once again exposed his separatist intentions -- this time by twisting history to fit a narrative divorced from fact and steeped in distortion and deceit.
In the first of a planned series of speeches, Lai delivered not a reflection of historical truth but a calculated mix of falsehoods and misinterpretations crafted to advance his political agenda to seek "Taiwan independence."
The historical record is clear: the island's bond with the Chinese mainland are deeply rooted and amply evidenced. Most of the island's population, including its ethnic minorities, are descendants of migrants from the Chinese mainland over successive periods.
Numerous historical records and documents have chronicled the development of Taiwan by the Chinese people, with the earliest accounts tracing back to the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). Starting from the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368), the central governments of China all set up administrative bodies to exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan.
In 1624, Dutch colonialists invaded and occupied the southern part of Taiwan. In 1662, Zheng Chenggong, a general of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), led an expedition and expelled the Dutch colonizers from Taiwan.
The subsequent Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) also set up administrative bodies in Taiwan. In 1684, a Taiwan prefecture administration was set up under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province. In 1885, Taiwan's status was upgraded to a province of China.
While Taiwan has its own historical trajectory, it has never existed as a country separate from China. Lai, however, went so far as to claim that China only began its relationship with Taiwan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, falsely equating Zheng Chenggong's reclaiming of Taiwan and the Qing Dynasty's governance with foreign occupations by the Dutch and Spanish colonists.
One must not forget that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have long stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of foreign aggression. For instance, after the outbreak of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in the 1930s, at least 50,000 people from Taiwan joined their mainland compatriots in fighting the Japanese invasion, driven by the belief that "to save Taiwan, one must first save the motherland."
The courage and sacrifices of the people in Taiwan in resisting foreign aggression are part of the shared memory of the Chinese nation. Yet Lai has sought to reframe this legacy as "Taiwanese defending their own country," distorting historical truth to advance his "Taiwan independence" narrative.
As many in Taiwan have noted, Lai's remarks were riddled with hollow slogans, fragmented history, and a worldview increasingly detached from reality. By distorting historical truth and repackaging it into a fabricated narrative, Lai sought to stir confrontation, deepen social rifts, and deploy historical distortion as political propaganda to mobilize public sentiment and tighten his grip on power.
But fabricated claims that run counter to history, reality and legal principles will never stand the test of time. Lai's separatist remarks are destined to be swept into the dustbin of history. Enditem
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