The Kuomintang has publicly criticised President Lai Ching-te's National Day address, saying that while he demanded the Chinese Communist Party not distort the history of World War II, he himself passed over the Republic of China's contribution to the war of resistance — underscoring Taiwan's continuing internal divisions over national identity.

• In his National Day address, Lai Ching-te warned China not to distort the history of World War II and called for respect for the Taiwanese people's right to survival.
• Chen Yi-hsin, director of the KMT's Culture and Communications Committee, criticised the speech for never saying "the 115th year of the Republic of China" and for making no mention of the ROC's founding in 1912, the Northern Expedition or the eight-year war of resistance.
• The core of the criticism is that the Republic of China fought Japan alongside the United States and other Allied powers, and that by sidestepping this history the president instead weakens Taiwan's leverage in asserting its historical standing internationally.
• Lai Ching-te also said that China continues to pressure the Taiwan Strait through military and grey-zone means, that Taiwan will press ahead with defence reform, and that it welcomes the United States and China managing their competition through dialogue.

Outlook: The contest over historical interpretation and national positioning will carry into the next round of election campaigning, with no common ground between the Blue and Green camps in the near term.