Chairwoman of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party Cheng Li-wen on Nov. 8 attended the Autumn Memorial Ceremony for Victims of the 1950s White Terror, an event meant to honor victims of political persecution. The ceremony, however, listed Wu Shi, a former CCP underground member executed by the Nationalist government, among those commemorated — igniting widespread criticism and debate.
Moreover, the event, organized by the Association of Political Victims, featured a performance of the CCP revolutionary song Requiem and a eulogy that criticized the United States while denouncing “anti-communist efforts to contain China.”
Former KMT legislator Tsai Cheng-yuan condemned Cheng’s participation, saying that paying tribute to individuals who worked to overthrow the Republic of China government was tantamount to “reversing history.”
He added sarcastically that the KMT “might as well rename itself the Chinese National Surrender Party.”
The Kuomintang, which translates to “Chinese Nationalist Party,” once governed all of China before it was forced to retreat to Taiwan when the communists took over mainland China in 1949. On Taiwan, the KMT ruled as an anti-communist dictatorship for decades before allowing democratic reforms in the 1990s.
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While vowing to retake mainland China, the KMT also heavily suppressed local Taiwanese identity and other forms of political dissent.
Today, however, the party has grown closer to Communist China, with many Taiwanese viewing it as a fifth column for Beijing’s ambitions to take over the island.
Ceremony details and public reaction
Cheng defended her attendance at the commemorative event, stressing that its purpose was to reflect on state violence and promote reconciliation, not to honor communist figures.
She said she had not been informed of the full memorial list in advance, and that “every person who suffered under authoritarian rule, regardless of belief or affiliation, deserves remembrance.”
Cheng emphasized that the White Terror represented “a grave mistake of state violence” and urged the public “not to over-politicize” the memorial.
Cheng has faced criticism for her previous controversial statements, such as saying that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was not a dictator, and declaring herself to be Chinese — something that in Taiwan is often seen as voicing one’s support for the mainland regime.
The inclusion of Wu Shi and another CCP intelligence officer, Chu Chen-chih, led critics to question whether the ceremony crossed the line from victim remembrance to showing her true political colors.
Within the KMT, opinions were divided. Some senior party members urged caution in selecting public appearances, warning that Cheng’s participation could be misunderstood as undermining the party’s historical stance.
Others argued that acknowledging the full scope of history was necessary if the KMT seeks to transform itself into a modern political party.
Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which advocates an independent Taiwan, sharply criticized Cheng’s move.
DPP legislator Wang Ting-yu said that memorializing communist spies was equivalent to “denying the history of Taiwan’s resistance against communism,” and questioned whether the KMT still saw itself as a Taiwanese political party or “a subsidiary of China.”
Meanwhile, political scientist Lin Kuo-liang of National Chengchi University said the White Terror should not be reduced to partisan conflict.
“The victims [of the KMT’s dictatorship] included left-wing idealists as well as those wrongly accused,” he noted. “The point of remembrance should be to reflect on authoritarian rule, not to replay political battles.”
Chen Yi-chun, a researcher at a Taipei-based think tank, added that if Cheng’s gesture reflected sincere introspection, it could be seen as positive.
“But without respect for historical context,” Chen said, “such actions risk being perceived as political theater.”
