Foreign observers spoke highly of China's sacrifices in and contributions to ending World War II (WWII) and building world peace after watching the V-Day parade held in Beijing on Wednesday, emphasizing that the world should draw strength from the great victory to forge ahead.
During the World Anti-Fascist War, China tied down and fought the bulk of Japan's forces, eliminating more than 1.5 million enemy troops and preventing Japan from allocating more troops to the Pacific theater.
China suffered a total of 35 million military and civilian casualties, accounting for a third of the total casualties of all the countries in World War II.
On Wednesday, China held the grand military parade at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, with many distinguished international guests in attendance.
"We've seen an example where China is clearly ready for peace, but also is prepared to defend itself and sent a strong message that it will never again experience what it has in the past or what is often referred to as a century of humiliation that won't happen anymore. And so we're seeing a strong modern China rise up. And this is an exciting moment not just for China, but for the world," said Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of the Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University.
"The Chinese people made tremendous sacrifices and paid a substantial price in the pursuit of national independence. Commemorative activities have enabled all Chinese people to recognize that the hard-won victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was achieved through great effort and is not to be taken for granted," said Kamel Mansari, publishing director of the Algerian newspaper "Jeune Independent" (Youth Independent).
"The Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression effectively began with the September 18 incident in 1931, which led to the full-scale outbreak of the War of Resistance in 1937 with the Lugou Bridge Incident. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, a national united front against Japanese aggression was established in 1937, continuing until the victory in 1945. This means that the Chinese people persisted in their anti-fascist struggle for 14 years. In this sense, the contributions of the Chinese people to the global anti-fascist struggle are the greatest, most powerful, and involved the highest sacrifices. This point is of utmost importance," said Frank Schumann, a writer from Germany.
Gulya Kozhokulova, a member of the Jogorku Kenesh (parliament) of the Kyrgyz Republic, highlighted that solidarity is key for the world to cope with challenges.
"The commemorative events taking place in Beijing today have a special significance for the entire international community. This is not just a tribute to the heroes of the past, it is also an important, powerful, strong signal of the present day that peace and security require constant care, calling for responsibility and joint efforts. Victory in World War II was a turning point in the history of mankind, when the foundation was laid for the creation of a new system of international relations based on the principles of equality, respect and cooperation. The establishment of the UN was a direct result of this victory and a symbol of the desire of peoples to prevent a repeat of the tragedy of world wars. Such events serve as a reminder that a divided world is doomed to conflict, while a united world is capable of coping with any challenges," said Kozhokulova.
Foreign observers hail China's contributions to WWII victory, call world to draw strength to forge ahead
Foreign observers hail China's contributions to WWII victory, call world to draw strength to forge ahead
