A watershed moment in China's history

Also, China has been a leader among developing countries in reforming the international relations based on the colonial system. It is noteworthy that many important international meetings and declarations during and after World War II, which served as the bedrock of the anti-fascist alliance and helped develop the postwar world order, were proposed by China.

It was the victory against the Japanese aggressors that helped China regain its sovereignty and some of its lost territory. Chinese people had struggled for more than 100 years to abolish the unfair treaties imposed on it by colonial powers. Chinese people's contribution to the war against fascism helped them realize this dream as well as earn them the respect of the world. In October 1942, the United States and Britain gave up their extraterritoriality and annulled their unfair treaties with China. Other Western colonial powers followed their example later.

The Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender all recognized China's sovereignty over the areas it had lost in the war against Japanese aggression. Given the specific knowledge Chinese people have about China's territory, they will never compromise on it, nor will they covet other countries' territories.

The victory 70 years ago also laid the foundation for a modern political system in China. A war is an experimental field for different proposals by different parties. In this sense, the victory opened for China the most feasible road to future success. China's fast economic development for the past decades is a testimony to that.

Disaster and death are one side of a war, honor and dream the other. The commemorative activities marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the war against Japanese aggression not only recall the sacrifices made by the Chinese people, they also look forward to a better future.

This is an abridgement of an article published in Study Times on Aug 31.