Taiwan bars officials from China military parade marking end of war with Japan

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday announced a ban on all current government officials and certain former ones from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing will hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China's (ROC, Taiwan's official name) victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a regular news briefing in Taipei.

To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united front efforts targeting Taiwan," Liang said the government has prohibited central and local government officials from attending the parade or related activities organized by Chinese authorities.

Personnel at all levels of government, including those in subordinate agencies, are also barred from attending, according to a MAC news release.

The ban also applies to former deputy heads or higher-level officials of agencies responsible for national defense, foreign affairs, mainland affairs, or national security, as well as military officers ranked major general or above and heads of intelligence agencies, Liang added.

If former officials violate the ban, they will be subject to penalties such as fines or the suspension or revocation of pensions, as stipulated in relevant provisions of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (Cross-Strait Act), he said.

Liang also urged the public not to take part in the Sept. 3 parade in Beijing or any related events in China, while noting that under current regulations, ordinary members of the public are not prohibited from attending.

However, he said that if any political party, legal entity, civic group, or individual travels to China to participate and engages in any form of cooperative activity with Chinese authorities, they will be subject to penalties under the Cross-Strait Act and other relevant laws.

Those cooperative activities could include "signing agreements or memorandums, issuing joint statements, or taking part in promotional campaigns," Liang added.

Asked if any government officials had applied to attend events in China marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War before Thursday's announcement, Liang said there were "a few scattered cases."

"Some are still under review, while others have been rejected," he added.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on June 25 that a military parade will be held in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3 to "mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War."

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) will "review the troops and address a grand gathering held that day to mark the anniversary," according to the Xinhua report.