Taiwan condemns China's 'dictatorship' on 70th anniversary of communist rule

Performers travel past Tiananmen Square with a float showing Chinese President Xi Jinping during the parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China, on its National Day in Beijing, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's government on Tuesday condemned China's "dictatorship" on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, saying the country was a threat to peace and trying to find excuses for its military expansion.

Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after loosing a civil war to the Communists. China claims now democratic Taiwan as its sacred territory, and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing's control.