The Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the Taiwan authorities led by Lai Ching-te have blatantly used the Japanese invaders' lies to whitewash Japan's aggression and colonial rule in Taiwan, which constitutes a "grave blasphemy against history and a shameful betrayal of the nation".

Lai recently sparked anger within the Taiwan Island when he claimed that Japan's colonial rule in Taiwan was intended to advance the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" — a term Japan frequently used before the end of World War II to beautify its aggression and atrocities in East Asian countries.

In response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that Japan had carried out colonial rule over Taiwan for half a century, brutally suppressing the resistance of compatriots in Taiwan, rampantly plundering various kinds of resources, and causing severe damage to Taiwan's economy, culture, and people's livelihoods.

"This heart-wrenching history of blood and tears must not be forgotten or distorted," Lin said on Wednesday at a daily press conference in Beijing.

"We will never allow anyone to justify the colonial past or whitewash the aggression," he added.