Overseas experts hail China's contributions to anti-fascist war

BEIJING - As China is preparing for the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the world anti-fascist war, overseas experts and scholars spoke highly of the country's war against Japanese aggression more than seven decades ago.

Although China and other peace-loving countries fought bloody battles against fascists and suffered heavy casualties during World War II, they finally won the war for the freedom and future of mankind.

Due to various conflicts and clashes around the world, there is still a risk for war at present.

From a world perspective, it is of great significance for safeguarding historical facts and maintaining security and stability in Asia to mark China's righteous role in and huge contribution to the world anti-fascist war.

Chinese people's War against Japanese Aggression was an important part of the world anti-fascist war and China played a significant role as the major battlefield in the East, overseas experts and scholars said.

Cha Jae-bok, a top researcher with the Northeast Asian History Foundation, a South Korean think-tank, said that as a main battleground, China had been engaged in a protracted war against Japanese aggressors.

Chinese troops' long, bloody fight played an important role in defeating Japanese fascists, he added.

According to Japan's statistics, 1.33 million Japanese troops were killed or wounded in Chinese battlefields during the war, accounting for 68 percent of the country's total casualties.

After the war, more than 1.28 million Japanese troops surrendered their weapons to China, accounting for about 50 percent of those who surrendered overseas.

Han Tan Juan, vice-president of the Association of World War II Studies in Singapore, said Chinese people, led by the Communist Party of China, had made great contributions to the world anti-fascist war.

He also expressed admiration for the important contributions made by many high-ranking military officers of the Kuomintang (KMT) during the war.

Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of Singapore Nanyang Technological University, said that over nearly a century before the anti-Japanese war, China had continuously been invaded by foreign powers.

The victory in the war had helped China make a vital step in getting rid of semi-colonial rule, he said.

Galina Kulikova, first vice president of the Russia-China Friendship Association, said Russia and China, as two main forces in the fight against fascists, suffered through great hardships and won the war with terrible losses of human lives.

"Russia and China will protect their victory, stand against falsification of historical facts, and educate young generations with examples of their grandparents' fame," she said.

Chinese people's contributions and heroism in the fight against fascists also won respect from around the world. After the war, China joined hands with the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France to become part of the core force in establishing the post-war international order.

Cha said huge changes have taken place in such areas as world politics, economy, society and culture since the end of World War II.

He took the founding of the United Nations as an example, saying one of the main functions of the UN Security Council is to prevent war.

As for Japan, experts said the country should take the anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on history, admit its crime of aggression, and express its sincere apology to countries that suffered from its wartime atrocities so as to realize reconciliation with its neighbors.

Antonio Tan, president of the Filipino Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, called on the international community to remain vigilant against those remarks which attempt to vindicate Japanese militarism and fascism.

"We should jointly safeguard the fruits of victory of WWII and the post-war international order," he said.

Experts also urged Japan not to distort history and cover up its war crimes any more.

The Japanese government should take practical actions to prevent crimes of aggression committed by Japanese troops during World War II from happening again, Han said.