China Projects Its Version of War History in Show of Military Might

War history seen as crucial in underpinning its credentials as a major global power

- Lim Min Zhang

BEIJING - China grabbed headlines by flaunting its advanced military platforms at a Beijing parade on Sept 3 - only its second such event to commemorate the end of World War II, which also ended Japan's invasion of the country.

Apart from being a show of deterrence and unity, the parade reveals something else - that Beijing increasingly sees China's wartime history as crucial in underpinning the country's credentials as a major international power, as it positions itself as a force for multilateralism and stability.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the parade that the end of the World Anti-Fascist War - as the Chinese call World War II - marked China's "first complete victory in modern times against foreign invasion."

Beijing considers the war as beginning in 1931 with Japan's invasion; during that period of 14 years, some 35 million Chinese people were killed or wounded.

World War II history is hence a crucial milestone, as the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) seeks to draw a timeline from China's "century of humiliations" beginning with the first Opium War in 1839 - when it was dominated by foreign powers - to the CPC's supposed key role in achieving victory in the Eastern Front of the World Anti-Fascist War.

However, as a legacy of the Chinese civil war, grappling with how to treat the contributions during the war of China's previous ruling party Kuomintang (KMT) continues to be a tricky issue for Beijing, particularly as its ties with Taiwan, where KMT is now the main opposition party, have worsened.

The foundation for today's version of history was set in 2014 when China's Parliament - the National People's Congress - officially designated Sept 3 as "Victory Day," a day after the Japanese surrendered formally in 1945. In 2015, China held its first parade on Sept 3 to mark the occasion.