REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING -- China wants Taiwan to participate in commemorations later this year to mark the end of World War Two, and also plans events commemorating the end of Japanese rule over the island, a Chinese government spokeswoman said on Wednesday (11/3).

Chinese President Xi Jinping will oversee a military parade, reception and evening gala for the war anniversary, which is likely to be marked in September, and will invite leaders from major participants in the war, the foreign ministry has said though it has not said who.

After World War Two, Chinese communists and nationalists resumed a civil war that ended when nationalist forces withdrew to Taiwan in 1949. Though ruled separately, China claims Taiwan as its own, and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its rule.

Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said victory in the war was a victory for "the entire nation".

"We welcome Taiwan compatriots to participate in memorial activities, and hope people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can always remember history, cherish the memory of martyrs and rally together through war victory activities," she told reporters.

China will also hold a series of events this year to mark the end of Japanese colonial rule over Taiwan, Fan added, without providing details.

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