Taipei: Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced on Saturday that the “benefits after unification” promoted by Chinese authorities at a Beijing event commemorating “the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China” do not appeal to the people of Taiwan.

According to Focus Taiwan, the MAC emphasized that the core issue in cross-strait relations is the systemic differences between Taiwan and China. They criticized the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to outline a unification blueprint as an attempt to “entice unification” which holds no appeal for the Taiwanese populace. The council highlighted the fundamental contest between democracy and authoritarianism as irreconcilable.

The statement from MAC followed a gathering by Chinese authorities in Beijing to mark “the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China,” a day referred to by Taiwan as “Taiwan Retrocession Day.” This day commemorates the transfer of control from Japan to the Republic of China (ROC) on October 25, 1945, after half a century of Japanese colonial rule, predating the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by almost four years.

The event in Beijing was attended by senior CCP officials, including Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang Huning’s remarks highlighted that after “peaceful unification,” Taiwan would benefit from the support of a “powerful motherland” in areas such as economic development and security, as reported by the United Daily News.

Wang also stated that the designation of October 25 as “Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration” reinforces the international consensus that Taiwan is an integral part of China. Despite the ROC government relocating to Taipei in 1949, following the Chinese Civil War, Taiwan and its outlying islands remain under ROC control and have never been governed by the PRC.

As the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II approaches in 2025, tensions between the ROC and PRC have surfaced over historical narratives, including leadership in the Second Sino-Japanese War and commemorative events such as Victory over Japan Day and Taiwan Retrocession Day.

On October 17, MAC head Chiu Chui-cheng accused Chinese authorities of fabricating a narrative to assert Taiwan’s belonging to the PRC, aimed at eliminating the ROC and annexing Taiwan. Chiu described the Beijing events as “united front activities” and revealed that the Taiwanese government has prohibited public officials and educators from attending events organized by Chinese authorities.