Eighty years ago, after arduous and heroic struggles, the Chinese people, together with the American people and people of other countries, won the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, also known as World War II. As the main battlefield in the east, China was the first to resist Japanese militarist aggression, beginning with the “September 18th Incident” in 1931. With 14 years of bitter struggle and at the cost of tens of millions of military and civilian casualties, China made irreplaceable historic contributions to the victory of both conflicts.
In the history of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japanese aggression, the Nanjing Massacre is undoubtedly one of the darkest chapters in human civilization. In 1937, Japanese militarist forces invaded Nanjing and shocked the world, killing over 300,000 innocent civilians and captured soldiers. They even took photos of their crimes to show off their “achievements” and seek rewards.
At that time, China received extensive support and sincere assistance from the international community, including the United States, leaving us with many deeply moving stories.
We will never forget Minnie Vautrin, from Secor, Illinois, who resolutely chose to stay at Ginling College in Nanjing during the massacre, using it as a temporary shelter, and fought hard to protect tens of thousands of innocent Chinese women and children. The diary she wrote during that dark period, named “Terror in Minnie Vautrin’s Nanjing,” served as invaluable historical documentation, providing the world with a complete account of the crimes committed by the Japanese militarist forces. Not long ago, my colleagues and I made a special trip to Secor to commemorate her noble humanitarian spirit together with the local people in front of her monument. And I, representing the Chinese government, presented the Commemorative Medal for the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to Cindy Vautrin, a descendent of Minnie.
We will never forget journalist Edgar Snow from Missouri, who went to the front lines of China’s War of Resistance, rescued Chinese people at great personal risk, and reported on the unyielding armed struggle of the Communist Party of China and its army against Japanese aggression.
We will never forget the 164th U.S. Signal Photo Company, where Arthur Hedgo from North Dakota served and captured the China-Burma-India theater of World War II with tens of thousands of photos.
We will never forget the Flying Tigers, composed of pilots from the U.S. Army Air Corps, Navy, and Marine Corps, and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault, who volunteered to come to China to help fight the Japanese forces. In 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor led to the U.S. declaring war on Japan, and as the U.S. and other countries joined the war, the global anti-fascist alliance gradually took shape. The strategic importance of the Chinese battlefield became increasingly prominent. China and the U.S. fought side by side and supported each other, helping to push this war of justice toward final victory. Commemorative medals were also presented to the veterans of the Flying Tigers.
After the war, envoys of goodwill of the new generation have taken up the baton. Iris Chang, a young Chinese-American historian, who graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, consulted a large amount of historical materials from China, Japan and Western (British and American) perspectives during her lifetime, and wrote “The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II”, exposing the true history of the Nanjing Massacre. Evan Kail, a pawn shop owner from Minnesota, donated to China a photo album documenting the war crimes committed by the Japanese invaders during the war.
The severe atrocities committed by Japanese during the war against China are backed by overwhelming evidence and are widely acknowledged by the international community as undeniable historical facts. Any attempt to tamper with the history of aggression is doomed to fail, and any move to turn back the wheel of history will be firmly opposed by the 1.4 billion Chinese people and all the peace-loving people in the world.
As President Xi Jinping pointed out at the commemoration events on Sept. 3 in Beijing, today humanity again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum games. The Chinese people firmly stand on the right side of history and the progress of human civilization. China will remain committed to the path of peaceful development, and join hands with all peoples around the world in building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, inspired by the great spirit of the resistance against Japanese aggression, China has undergone earth-shaking changes. Through more than 75 years of perseverant hard work, the Chinese people have turned China from an impoverished country into the second largest economy in the world. Eight hundred million people in rural areas were lifted out of poverty, a miracle in the history of humanity.
At present, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party, China’s comprehensive national power continues to grow, the country is prosperous and strong, and the people live and work in contentment. As China is built into a great modern socialist country, common prosperity is also promoted around the globe. In fact, China has been providing more than 30% of world economic growth for many consecutive years, becoming an anchor of stability in a volatile international environment.
History cautions us that humanity rises and falls together. Only when all countries and nations treat each other as equals, coexist in peace and support each other, can we uphold common security, eradicate the root cause of war, and prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies.
Eighty years ago, in the heroic struggle against fascism, the Chinese and American people fought shoulder to shoulder and supported each other, pushed this war of justice toward final victory, and formed enduring bonds of friendship that lasted through the years. Today, 80 years later, as two major countries, China and the United States should continue to jointly uphold the spirit of justice, peace and enlightenment that drives human civilization.
Under the stewardship of President Xi and President Donald Trump, our two countries need to work together in the same direction.
Let us carry forward the great spirit of the War of Resistance, overcome division with unity, resolve confrontation through cooperation, and replace zero-sum thinking with win-win outcomes. Together, we will safeguard the hard-earned achievements of peace and development, and work hand in hand to create a brighter future for generations to come.
Wang Baodong is the Chinese consul general in Chicago.