Battalion commander’s screening stirs debate over Beijing’s state-led messaging to sway opinions on the self-ruled island
4-MIN READ4-MINLawrence Chungin TaipeiPublished: 8:00pm, 28 Apr 2026A Taiwanese army officer has been punished for screening The Eight Hundred, a mainland Chinese war film depicting Kuomintang (KMT) forces fighting Japanese troops during World War II.The punishment has triggered a political row on the island over Beijing’s state-led messaging to sway opinions in Taiwan as well as historical interpretation and military education on the island.The controversy emerged after ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Wang Ting-yu revealed during a legislative meeting this week that earlier this year a battalion commander in the Taiwanese army’s 153rd Brigade had ordered the film be shown to troops.AdvertisementThe unit, part of the Sixth Army Corps based in Yilan, later drew scrutiny for the screening.
On Monday, Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, Taiwan’s defence minister, said the screening had been directed by the battalion commander and not initiated at the company level.
