Both China and the Soviet Union made pivotal contributions to the victory in the global fight against fascism, which should not be forgotten, let alone demonized, said a Russia-based expert on international relations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Wednesday evening for a state visit and to attend celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.
In a signed article published in the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his arrival in Moscow, Xi said China and the Soviet Union served as the mainstay of resistance against Japanese militarism and German Nazism, making pivotal contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.
"Any attempt to distort the historical truth of WWII, deny its victorious outcome, or defame the historic contribution of China and the Soviet Union is doomed to fail," Xi wrote in his article.
In a panel discussion with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Russia-based international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda pointed out that the West is actively rewriting history from a Western perspective.
"In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the French people were asked, which country contributed most to the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of France. And at the time, it was something like 90 percent of the French people recognized that the Soviet Union did the lion's share of the work in that regard. And in the modern day, that number has fallen to the low teens, so showing how much of a distortion of history. There is a very active rewriting of history that includes a modern geopolitical demonization. First of the Soviet Union continuing now with Russia, and we can also talk about China in the eastern side of the conflict being demonized. Not forgotten, but excised from memory and actively rewritten into a more modern western geopolitical interpretation of history," he said.
The joint attendance of the Russian and Chinese presidents at the 80th-anniversary commemorations carries profound significance, Sleboda noted.
"Why is 80 so important? A part of the reason it's so important is because there are so few living veterans of that conflict left, that we can still honor their sacrifice today. The next round number we hit, there may not be any left that can be celebrated in the living flesh. It will only then be memory. That is why the presence of the Russian and the Chinese presidents together mourning. The cost must not be forgotten, because that could lead to a repetition," said the expert.
Expert calls for accurate recognition of Soviet, Chinese contributions in WWII
China will take more effective measures to improve people's wellbeing, especially in education, healthcare, and social security, an official said Thursday in Beijing at a press conference on the interpretation of this year's government work report, which was submitted to the national legislature for deliberation earlier in the day.
Shen Danyang, head of the government work report drafting team and director of the State Council Research Office, said centering on enhancing educational equity and quality, the report made arrangements for education at all educational stages and of all types.
"Regarding preschool education, the policy of free education in the year prior to entering primary school will continue to be implemented this year, which is commonly referred to as free admission to the senior class of kindergartens. So, how can the income reduction of kindergartens be addressed? Subsidies will be provided by both the central and local governments, with the central government taking the lion's share. This year, the funds allocated to support the development of preschool education will increase significantly by 37.8 percent to ensure the implementation of the beneficial policy," he said.
Regarding senior high school education, Shen said the report stated that the supply of regular senior high school places will be increased,
Specifically, for areas with a continuous net inflow of population, a number of regular high schools will be planned and constructed on an annual basis. For regions with a temporary shortage of school places, priority will be given to the renovation and expansion of existing teaching buildings, student dormitories and canteens, he said.
Shen said the report put forward many supportive measures in healthcare.
"For instance, it urged efforts to strengthen coordination in drug use at the grassroots level, which mean improving the list of essential drugs, and optimizing the channels for drug supply and drug use coordination between upper- and lower-level medical and health institutions to make it more convenient for the public to use drugs at their doorstep. Besides, the report has made arrangements for supporting the development of innovative drugs for the third consecutive year. This year, China will strengthen the coordination of supportive policies in an all-round way, further address issues such as the barriers facing innovative drugs entering hospitals, and better meet the diverse medical and medication needs of the people," he said.
In terms of social security, Shen said the report proposed to continue raising the minimum standard of basic pensions for urban and rural residents -- a policy will benefit over 180 million elderly people.
"The central government will allocate 1.25 trillion yuan (about 181.25 billion U.S. dollars) in subsidy funds to ensure the timely and full payment of pensions. In response to the insufficient protection of the rights and interests of people engaging in new occupations, the report proposed to steadily and orderly expand the scale of the pilot program for occupational injury insurance. This year, the policy will cover 31 provincial-level regions across the country and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Meanwhile, enterprises specializing in travel, instant delivery and intra-city freight delivery will be included in the pilot program, which will ensure the safety of more laborers, such as food delivery workers and online car-hailing drivers," he said.
China to improve people's wellbeing in education, healthcare, social security: official
