Discourse on 2nd Sino-Japanese War must be grounded in facts: Ex-NSB head

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) On the eve of China's military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, former National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Lee Shying-jow (李翔宙) said Tuesday that the Republic of China's (ROC) victory represents a triumph of justice.

He added that the ROC's victory serves as the clearest historical evidence countering the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) claims of having defeated Japanese forces during the war.

Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Taiwan Thinktank on the PLA's Rocket Force, naval and air power, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities, Lee criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for pursuing a wartime strategy of "10 percent resistance, 20 percent coping, and 70 percent development" during the war.

That approach, he said, allowed the PLA to rise, seize power illegally, and ultimately divide the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Lee argued that research on the PLA must be rooted in history to avoid superficial analysis. He noted that the PLA was founded 15 years after the ROC, initially as the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, with the aim of expanding local power and seizing resources.

Taking advantage of Japan's invasion of China, the PLA strengthened itself through guerrilla tactics rather than genuine resistance, Lee said. By the end of the war, its forces had grown from 20,000 to 2 million, which he argued undermines the CCP's claims of leading the resistance against Japan.

"The victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War is the best historical evidence whereby we can serve justice and beat the PLA," Lee said, adding that the ROC's wartime success was built on the sacrifices of countless Chinese people.

Turning to recent developments, Lee pointed to the PLA's establishment of an Information Support Force in 2024 to integrate strategic communications across platforms and harness artificial intelligence to modernize operations.

He also noted that China has founded three new military academies -- the Army Services University, the Information Engineering University, and the Engineering University of the Joint Logistics Support Force -- as part of efforts to enhance global influence and management.