Experts hail China's role in WWII victory

As the world marks major World War II anniversaries, commemorations in many Western countries often focus on Europe and the Pacific. Yet, China's 14-year resistance against Japanese aggression — a struggle that tied down millions of enemy troops and made a significant contribution to the Allied victory — remains underappreciated.

African scholars and experts are urging a correction to this narrative. They argue that giving due weight to China's role not only honors historical truth, but also offers valuable lessons for today's world.

Peter Kagwanja, president and chief executive of the Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, said China and much of the Global South are too often depicted as regions "saved by the Allied forces", with their sacrifices and contributions to victory erased from memory.

Worse still, Kagwanja said revisionist accounts promoted by right-wing politicians portray Japan as a victim of World War II, stressing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki while obscuring its role as an aggressor and perpetrator of war crimes.

He described China's Sept 3 grand military parade as a solemn call to remember history.

As the primary Eastern theater of World War II, China played a decisive role in defeating Japan, he said. More than 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded, while Chinese forces killed more than 1.5 million Japanese troops — accounting for more than 70 percent of Japan's total casualties.

Beyond defending their homeland, the Chinese sent supplies and troops to support the Allies, while tying down 1 million Japanese soldiers in a prolonged war of attrition.

"Chinese resistance prevented Japan from overrunning Asia and potentially invading the Soviet Union," Kagwanja said. "China's role in the World Anti-Fascist War inspired the colonized people to fight for freedom, accelerating the collapse of colonial fascism."

Dennis Mwaniki, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, said the founding of the United Nations in 1945 was both the crowning achievement of the anti-fascist war and the cornerstone of global peace.

Resistance to aggression and foreign domination is inseparable from the defense of global security, Mwaniki said, adding that China's long struggle and Africa's experiences show that peace is won through unity and resilience, not submission.

The contributions of the Global South — China's sacrifices, Africa's struggles and the rise of liberation movements — are integral to humanity's victories, he said. "To ignore them is to distort history and undermine the legitimacy of the current international order."

Patrick Maluki, chair of the Department of Diplomacy and International Studies at the University of Nairobi, said the shared struggles of Africa, China and the Global South are part of global movements against tyranny. He emphasized that peace and freedom are earned through courage and collective action, not granted as gifts.

"Honoring the stories of all who resisted oppression — whether in China, Africa or elsewhere — is crucial not only for historical justice but also for shaping a shared understanding of the values that should guide global governance today," Maluki said.

Governance must be built on fairness, equality, cooperation and mutual respect, he said. "The courage and sacrifice of those who fought against fascism inspire us to continue advocating for justice, equity and cooperation."

Collective action

Mutinda Mutisya, director of the Africa Centre for the Study of China at the University of Nairobi, said Africa's and China's experiences during the anti-fascist struggle show that meaningful change comes not from dependence on external powers but from collective action, mutual support and resilience.

"The shared struggles of our peoples are a testament to the capacity of nations to shape their own destinies, even in the face of overwhelming challenges," Mutisya said.

The moral authority gained from resisting aggression, supporting oppressed peoples and advocating for justice remains a guiding principle for diplomacy today, he said. China's steadfast engagement with Africa, he added, demonstrates how principled solidarity can strengthen institutions, advance sustainable development and promote fairer global order.

Hassan Khannenje, director of the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi, said China, together with other countries, should continue leading efforts to build a fair world grounded in a vision of a shared future.

He emphasized the need to expand partnerships in business, trade and investment; strengthen people-to-people interactions; and collaborate in international forums with like-minded actors.

Broadening the Belt and Road Initiative is to key not only safeguarding postwar achievements and fostering peace through a unity of purpose, but also to accelerating a new multipolar world based on equality, mutual respect and shared interests, he said.