The United States has accused China of deliberately misrepresenting World War II-era agreements to pressure and isolate Taiwan. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Washington’s de facto embassy, said Beijing’s claims that documents like the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation prove sovereignty over Taiwan are “false narratives.”
China argues that the wartime declarations mandated Taiwan’s “return” to Chinese rule after Japan’s surrender. However, Taiwan stresses that these agreements never determined its ultimate political status and point out that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) did not exist during World War II. Instead, the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s official name today, was the recognized government at the time before retreating to the island in 1949 after losing the civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists.
The 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty further complicates the issue. Japan renounced claims to Taiwan but did not assign sovereignty, leaving the island’s status unresolved. Beijing rejects the treaty as “illegal and invalid” since it was not a signatory.
The AIT emphasized that China’s legal interpretations are part of a broader campaign to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and restrict other nations’ relations with the island. Washington, while adhering to a “one China policy,” remains Taiwan’s most critical international supporter and continues to provide security assistance.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed U.S. backing, asserting that Taiwan and the PRC are “not subordinate to each other” and that Beijing has no right to represent Taiwan internationally.
Tensions flared during the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end, highlighted by a massive military parade in Beijing overseen by President Xi Jinping, underscoring the symbolic and political weight of history in cross-strait relations.