In response to the statement by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus of the Legislative Yuan that the current situation in Afghanistan reminds them of the Nationalist retreat from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan in 1949, the Kuomintang (KMT) refuted that the DPP’s remarks left people speechless. The evolution of the current world situation should be used as a reference for Taiwan’s future response, but the DPP often focuses on historical issues and sentiments. The DPP uses biased and misleading interpretations of history to conduct political operations. It is lamentable that DPP politicians do not pay much attention to the impact of changes in international relations on the security of the Taiwanese people. They only seek to gain political benefits by distorting history.
The KMT indicated that in 1949, soldiers in the Nationalist forces sacrificed their lives tragically in defending the Republic of China. Soldiers and commanders such as Huang Bai-tao, Chiu Ching-chuan, and others went down in history for their heroic deeds. After retreating to Taiwan, the KMT also fought in the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, called the “August 23 Artillery Battle ” in Chinese, while soldiers and civilians engaged in other courageous deeds united in resisting Mao Zedong’s communist army. The DPP likened the Afghan national army’s abandonment of the capital city to the tragic civil war between the KMT and the Communist Party, insulting the soldiers and people of the country who participated in the war and sacrificed their lives in the past.
The KMT noted that after its relocation to Taiwan in 1949, the Nationalist government demonstrated its strong will to defend Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. The strong resolve of the soldiers led to victory in numerous battles and won the firm support of the United States. Although our country faced the impact of withdrawing from the United Nations and severing diplomatic relations with the United States, the KMT did its utmost to defend Taiwan’s security, develop Taiwan’s economy, and deepen Taiwan’s democracy, so that the ROC could still survive the unfavorable international circumstances and deepen its roots and development in Taiwan.
The KMT emphasized that the DPP administration should conduct an overall assessment and take preventive actions for Taiwan regarding the changes in the international situation caused by the current political instability in Afghanistan. The KMT hopes that the DPP will engage in fewer unnecessary political manipulations and figure out the right direction for Taiwan’s security, adding that this is the responsibility of the ruling party.
