Remembering Japanese aggression can protect peace

All the Chinese people were responsible for the victory in the war against Japanese aggression. The Chinese people's unyielding spirit, their firm belief in victory and unswerving faith in national independence laid the foundation for the final victory against the Japanese invaders. And China's spiritual legacy of helping people develop the right historical outlook is important for the rejuvenation of the nation today.

The Auschwitz Camp in Poland and many other World War II ruins in the West have been included in the world cultural heritage list. But the values of the war ruins in China, such as the Nanjing Massacre site (the Japanese army killed more than 300,000 Chinese civilians in 40 days in the winter of 1937 in Nanjing), are yet to be fully recognized by all peoples in the world. The reason for this could be some people's reluctance to fully recognize China's role, contribution and position in the world's anti-fascist war.

China was the main battlefield in the East in that fight between good and evil. The Chinese people not only fought for themselves, but also made great contributions to the global fight against fascism.

China's war against the Japanese invaders started in 1931, much earlier than the war in Europe, and ended in late 1945, making China the battlefield where the anti-fascist war lasted the longest.

For most of the time during the protracted war, the Chinese people fought alone against the Japanese aggressors, who were better equipped, prepared and organized, but the Chinese people never gave up despite suffering heavy losses of lives and territory.

Were it not for China's containment of a large number of Japanese troops, the Japanese army would have marched faster and farther into the north and south.

The buildings and materials related to the Nuremberg Trial in Germany have been well preserved as teaching materials for future generations. But the prison that housed seven top Japanese war criminals during the Tokyo Trial was torn down in the 1970s to make way for skyscrapers.

The present Japanese Prime Minister Shenzo Abe exhausted all language tricks in his speech on the 70th anniversary of the war, without offering a fresh apology for the war his country launched out of greed, and for the pains his country inflicted upon the peoples in other countries. Abe's repeated attempts to rewrite Japan's pacifist Constitution and whitewash Japan's sins deserve condemnation and opposition from all peace-loving nations.

The pains suffered in the past have made China more vigilant to the potential dangers around it, and more resolved in defending world peace and stability. The international community shares the same interest. Many global issues, such as climate change, environmental problems, terrorism and poverty, cannot be resolved by any country alone.

As the largest developing country and the world's second-largest economy, China will shoulder more international responsibilities, and play a more active role in changing the unfair world order for the common development and prosperity of all nations.

This is an abridgement of an article published in People's Daily on Sept 2.

(China Daily 12/12/2015 page5)