Taipei: The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said military parades held by the Chinese Communist Party and Russia pose a threat to peace, Wu Jun-zhi, head of the DPP’s Department of China Affairs, said.

According to Focus Taiwan, Wu said 80 years have passed since the end of World War II and its lesson to humanity was to “oppose aggression and pursue peace.” He said the CCP and Russia have both chosen to hold military parades this year, including a Moscow Victory Day Parade in May, and that those events engage in militarism and belligerence that pose a threat to peace.

In his speech, Xi said that the victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War was achieved under a national united front against Japanese aggression advocated by the CCP, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The Mainland Affairs Council rejected Xi’s remarks and said the government of the Republic of China, along with the entire military and civilian population, “made countless sacrifices and contributions” that led to victory in the war. The MAC said the CCP sought to expand and consolidate its own power and made no contribution to the war effort. It said no amount of spending on commemorative events can cover up those facts.

The ROC government’s attitude toward the CCP’s role in the Second Sino-Japanese War has shifted over the years. In July 2015, at the opening ceremony of the exhibition “Truth of the War of Resistance against Japan,” then President Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang acknowledged that the CCP did participate in the eight-year war from 1937 to 1945, but said its involvement was “limited.” Ma noted that among the 268 generals commemorated by the ROC government for their sacrifice in the war was Zuo Quan, a major general who served as deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army. Ma said, “Although he was a general of the CCP, because he died in the war against Japan, he was included in the list of fallen generals,” according to a Presidential Office news release.

Among Taiwanese attending the parade, Hung Hsiu-chu drew attention after she announced she would attend and was seen on the Tiananmen rostrum. The MAC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Hung following her announcement. Wu said her presence was a very serious matter given her status as a former leader of Taiwan’s largest opposition party and criticized her for lending support to the event and for ignoring its impact on peace. He compared Hung’s attendance to a 2010 visit by former Vice President Lien Chan and said both attendances are symbols of the CCP’s success in its united front efforts.

Hung wrote on her Facebook page that the Sept. 3 commemoration carries “a simple yet solemn meaning,” and said anyone with a sense of gratitude would not forget the significance of the victory in the War of Resistance. She said, “Without the martyrs who shed their blood in battle, there would be no ROC today, nor a safe home for Taiwan.” Hung criticized what she called “threatening language” from the MAC and MOFA and asked whether commemorating the martyrs must first receive approval from the DPP. She said the requirement is a restriction on freedom of speech and a suppression of historical truth.

Lin Kuan-yu, head of the KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee, said that party Chairman Eric Chu has repeatedly stressed that cross-strait exchanges must comply with existing laws and regulations. Lin said that under that principle, individual activities will be respected as long as they do not violate the law, and that it will be up to the public to judge whether such conduct is appropriate.