Foreign observers hail China’s V-Day event

China's commemorations of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War showed the country's resolve to uphold peace, hailed foreign observers.

They also considered the events injected strong momentum into safeguarding global peace and tranquility.

Observing the events remotely, various people from around the world praised the grand military parade and recognized China's vital role in securing victory and its enduring commitment to global security.

"The military parade was tremendously impressive. President Xi Jinping is remarkable. We have never seen a parade on such a grand scale," said Didier Parakian, former Deputy Mayor of Marseille, France.

"As a soldier and retired general, I always believe that Chinese civilization is a peace-loving one. When China's voice is heard, it is a voice that can reassure and bring peace—a voice that carries considerable weight for every nation," said David Galtier, Vice President of Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, France.

Balew Demissie, a senior consultant at the Policy Studies Institute of Ethiopia, noted that V-Day commemorations connected the past, present, and future, carrying profound global significance.

"We love three major achievements: The first, as I said, is to commemorate the past. The second is to evaluate the present ongoing situation in the global affairs and the third one is to plan the future," said Balew Demissie.

Jorge Arguello, former Argentine ambassador to the United States, emphasized that China's parade was not merely a display but an assembly for peace.

"I think President Xi Jinping's attendance in the grand event in Beijing is significant. We should know that this was a military parade, and all the more it was a grand rally for peace. This is precisely the mission China has set for itself now," said Jorge Arguello.

Patricio Giusto, director of the Sino-Argentine Observatory, pointed out that China's role in safeguarding global peace is becoming increasingly crucial.

"What we commemorate is beyond the heroic struggle and the unremitting efforts to achieve peace. We should also remember China's increasingly prominent role in upholding peace. This is the key message President Xi is sending to the world," said Patricio Giusto.

China concluded its V-Day grand parade on Wednesday with 80,000 doves and 80,000 balloons released into the sky over the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing, expressing the Chinese people's commitment to peace and its armed forces' unwavering resolve to defend it.

Foreign observers hail China’s V-Day event

Northern China has launched full-scale clearing efforts to ensure smooth and safe traffic after multiple regions experienced the first snowfalls of the winter season.

In Inner Mongolia, snowfall began on Thursday night and continued through Friday morning in the northern and western parts of the autonomous region. Ordos City in the west experienced mild to moderate snow in most areas, with the northern part receiving the most snowfall of over five millimeters.

"The snow removal team has been working around the clock to clear snow and reduce slip hazards on sections prone to icing, including bridges, slopes, and curves. This aims to minimize the impacts of snowfall on road traffic," said Liu Feng, chief of a local highway maintenance station.

Snowfall in Jinan, capital of north China's Shandong Province, has been strengthening since 14:00 on Friday, with the local weather service upgrading the snowstorm warning signal from blue to yellow at 19:20 on the day.

Local authorities prepared over 1,670 snow removal machines for operation and immediately started clearing work as precipitation began.

Meanwhile, in north-central China's Gansu, temperatures in the rural Jishishan County dropped about 10 degrees Celsius as the rest of the province was largely affected by Friday's snowfall.

Gansu is a crucial passageway for traffic between China's eastern and western regions, so local authorities acted quickly to ensure highway safety.

"We applied deicing agents on sharp curves, steep slopes, and bridges, and increased patrols on roads in case any emergency situations may come up," said Che Yifan, deputy chief of a local highway maintenance station.

Snow also covered the Chinese capital Beijing on Friday, prompting emergency responses from local transportation authorities, with over 4,000 personnel and more than 2,600 pieces of machinery being dispatched to carry out the clearing effort.

Prompt clearing efforts begin amid season's first snowfall in northern China