Honouring the history of resistance, working together for a brighter future

ON 3 SEPTEMBER, Beijing hosted a solemn ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address and inspected the armed forces.

- WU PENG

Eighty years ago, the peace-loving people from all over the world stood in solidarity against our common enemy. We fought bravely, and achieved the great victory in the antifascist war. This war was an unprecedented catastrophe in human history. It affected around 2 billion people in over 80 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania, and caused over 100 million casualties among military personnel and civilians.

The ultimate downfall of fascism is proof that justice always triumphs over evil, light always prevails over darkness, and progressive strength always wins against reactionary forces.

As the main Eastern battlefield during the World Anti-Fascist War, the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began the earliest, lasted the longest, and saw the greatest sacrifices.

From 1931 to 1945, China went through 14 years of hard struggles, with the total military and civilian casualties over 35 million and the direct and indirect economic losses nearly 600 billion US dollars.

The Chinese people pinned down and resisted the main forces of Japanese militarism for an extended period, eliminating over 1.5 million Japanese troops, accounting for over 70% of the total casualties of Japanese forces during World War II.

As we fought hard in the Asian battlefield, China provided strong support and assistance to Allied Forces on the European, African, and Pacific battlefields, making a significant contribution to the victory of the global antifascist war.