TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Tuesday rejected Beijing’s claim that the People’s Republic of China fought in World War II, saying the assertion distorts basic historical facts.

Following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday, China’s foreign ministry claimed the two discussed Taiwan and the Russia–Ukraine war. Xi reportedly “outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question,” while Washington “understands how important” the issue is to Beijing, according to the statement.

The ministry also said Xi “underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order,” and asserted that the US and China “fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism” during WWII and should “jointly safeguard the victory” of that conflict.

Wu posted a screenshot of the ministry’s statement on X, pointing out that Taiwan has never been ruled by the PRC and that the PRC did not take part in WWII because “it wasn’t even born yet.” He noted the war ended in 1945, while the PRC was founded in 1949.

Responding to Beijing’s claim that it had helped resist fascism during the war, Wu wrote that “China under the CCP is modern-day fascist militarism disguised as communism.”

On Oct. 24, China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee approved the creation of “Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration,” calling it “an important part of the historical fact and legal chain that Taiwan is an integral part of China.”

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council criticized the move, saying Taiwan’s Retrocession Day is unrelated to the PRC and that the Chinese Communist Party made no meaningful contribution to the war against Japan.