All countries' efforts needed to maintain peace

Editor's Note: President Xi Jinping addressed a symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945) and the Anti-Fascist War. Three experts share their views on Xi's speech with China Daily's Pan Yixuan. Excerpts follow:

Japan should face the past to build a better future

Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at and deputy director of the Japanese Studies Center, China Foreign Affairs University

Japan's militarist aggression before and during World War II caused untold sufferings and trauma to people in many Asian countries. In particular, the Chinese people made tremendous sacrifices to safeguard national sovereignty and win the war against the Japanese aggressors.

Peace is precious to both the Chinese and Japanese people today. And China is willing to improve bilateral ties with Japan despite the latter's militarist past. In fact, bilateral relations have gone through ups and downs because of historical disputes.

Urging the Japanese authorities to reflect on its history does not mean forcing the Japanese people to bear the cross for the country's fascist past. Yet Japanese aggression should be a lesson for people of all countries, so that they value peace and never take the road to fascism again.

China and Japan are neighbors and have historical ties. And by reflecting on Japan's militarist past, we can further improve China-Japan relations.

Sino-Japanese relations have improved of late thanks mainly to mutual help the two countries provided during the pandemic. Yet the two sides should remember and reflect on history, and grasp the opportunity to promote bilateral relations, boost development and maintain peace.

China will never succumb to a bully

Yu Sui, a researcher at the China Center for Contemporary World Studies

China and the United States joined hands to fight the fascist forces during World War II, which more than seven decades showed the two sides can work together despite cultural and ideological differences, particularly when fighting a common enemy. This philosophy is still applicable today.

China advocates equality and mutual trust, and seeks win-win cooperation for common development. But, instead of responding to China's call, the US has resorted to unilateralism and nationalism. For instance, China wanted the US to join and boost the global fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic, the common enemy of humankind. Yet the US has been spreading lies about the pandemic and blaming China for almost all the problems it faces, from the devastating impact of the pandemic on the US to economic recession.

The White House has alleged that China poses a threat to the world and has tried to persuade other countries to join the US in building an anti-China front.

With the US presidential election less than two months away, US politicians have been using China as a punching bag to garner voters' support, including trying to create a misunderstanding between the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China, without realizing the two share a blood ties. As Xi said, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the connection between the CPC and the Chinese people cannot be distorted.

Thanks to the Party's leadership, China is moving on the track to achieve its goal of national rejuvenation and improving people's wellbeing. So it's time Washington realized that distorting facts to fulfill its narrow goals will hurt the interests of the US people and abandoned its zero-sum game and bias against China.

Chinese people and CPC are inseparable

Zuo Fengrong, a professor at the Institute for International Strategy, Party School of the CPC Central Committee

Because of its people-centric principle, the CPC has been supported by the Chinese people for close to a century. As a result, the CPC and Chinese people cannot be separated, as Xi said.

The Party's battlefront against the Japanese in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was built with people's support and participation, which in turn helped the Party to better defend the Chinese people's lives and interests through mass mobilization and other forms of resistance.

It is also people's support that led to the victory in the War of Liberation (1946-49).

Reform and opening-up were the innovations of the Party that allowed it to experiment with policies that best suit China's conditions, and facilitate economic development and improve people's livelihoods and wellbeing.

China has made remarkable progress on the development front. And through its scientific and people-centric policies, the Party's leadership has greatly improved people's livelihoods and living standards. Which means it is impossible to break the bond between the Chinese people and the Party by trying to distort the Party's achievements.

As for China, to realize national rejuvenation, it must stick to the leadership of the CPC and the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.