Beijing, China, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- "War is like a mirror. Looking into it helps us better appreciate the value of peace. Today, peace and development have become the prevailing trend, but the world is far from tranquil. War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind. We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace."
On September 3, 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in his address at the Commemoration of The 70th Anniversary of The Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and The World Anti-Fascist War. The remarks were included in the second volume of the series Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.
On September 3, 2025, a grand ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War will be held in Beijing. General Secretary Xi will deliver an important speech.
As the important commemorative events are about to take place, the Global Times, along with People's Daily Overseas Edition, released the 11th installment of the special series "Decoding the Book of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China." We continue to invite Chinese and foreign scholars, translators of Xi's works, practitioners with firsthand experience, and international readers to discuss the theme of "learning the lessons of history and dedicating ourselves to peace."
In the 11th article of the "Translators' Voices" column, Global Times (GT) reporter Ma Ruiqian interviewed B. R. Deepak (Deepak), professor of Chinese and China studies at the Center of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Deepak is one of translators of the Hindi edition of the book series Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.
GT: In Volume II of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, President Xi stated: "The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World War II were a decisive battle between justice and evil, between light and darkness, and between progress and reaction… During the war, through enormous national sacrifice, the Chinese people held their ground in the main Eastern theater of World War II, thus making a major contribution to overall victory." How do you evaluate China's role as the main Eastern theater of WWII? What profound significance does it hold for the history of China and the world?
Deepak: Undoubtedly, China's contribution as the main Eastern theater of WWII was strategic. From 1931 to 1945, China engaged Japan in a full-scale war, tying down around 1 million of Japan's main ground forces, which at their peak accounted for more than 90 percent of its total army strength.
This meant that China absorbed the bulk of Japanese aggression, preventing Tokyo from redeploying its forces to other battlefronts. The human cost was staggering. Despite the sacrifices, the Chinese people persevered, holding their ground and making a decisive contribution to the eventual Allied victory in Asia.
The significance of this contribution is profound for both China and the world. For China, the war became a crucible of modern nationalism, forging unity and pride after the long "century of humiliation." On the international level, China's resistance stalled Japanese expansion, provided crucial strategic support to the Soviet Union and Western Allies, and shifted the balance of the global conflict.
In this sense, China's role as the main Eastern theater of WWII was decisive not only in military terms but also in shaping the trajectory of world history. Its endurance and sacrifice tied down the majority of Japanese forces, contributed directly to the defeat of fascism, and marked a turning point in China's modern history, restoring national dignity and re-establishing China as a central force in international affairs.
GT: How do you understand the statement in the book that the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is a "remarkable feat on the part of the Chinese nation that was rare in the annals of war"?
Deepak: The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began in 1931 with the invasion of Northeast China by the Japanese and lasted for 14 years, much longer than any other major front of WWII (1939-1945), making China the first country to confront fascist aggression and among the last still fighting when victory came.
During this protracted struggle, the Chinese people endured extreme hardships and made immense sacrifices. The human toll was catastrophic: Estimated figures suggest that China suffered over 35 million casualties, and more than 42 million people were displaced due to the destruction of cities and villages. Major urban centers such as Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing were subjected to brutal aerial bombardments, and tens of thousands of women faced systematic sexual violence. Beyond direct casualties, famine, disease and economic collapse deepened the suffering. According to incomplete statistics, China suffered direct economic losses of over $100 billion and indirect economic losses of more than $500 billion.
It is said to be a "remarkable feat" because China, a semi-colonial and largely agrarian country at the time, sustained the longest resistance against one of the world's most modernized and militarized powers. Against overwhelming odds, the Chinese people endured immense suffering and mobilized on a national scale, effectively holding the main Eastern theater of WWII for 14 years. Their endurance not only preserved China's sovereignty but also made a decisive contribution to global victory over fascism. Few nations in history have withstood such prolonged devastation and emerged as a victor, making China's resistance a unique and extraordinary chapter in both national and world history.
GT: "In their war against Japanese aggression, the Chinese people received extensive support from the international community. The Chinese people will always remember how the people of other countries contributed to victory in their War of Resistance," President Xi pointed out in Volume II. During the War of Resistance, India sent medical teams to assist China. How do you evaluate the spirit of cooperation during WWII that transcended ideological differences? Do you believe that in safeguarding global peace, greater emphasis should be placed on common interests and the awareness of a community with a shared future for mankind, rather than ideology?
Deepak: WWII revealed an extraordinary moment in modern history when nations with starkly different political systems and ideologies came together to confront a common enemy. China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, later subsumed into the global anti-fascist struggle, demonstrated how survival and justice could override entrenched differences.
At the time, although India was battling British colonialism, it still extended support to China. This was a microcosm of the broader global alliance, where capitalist, socialist and colonized nations fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism. These wartime examples underscore a timeless truth: In safeguarding peace, common interests and shared humanity outweigh ideological divides.
In today's world, ideological differences are again cited as grounds for confrontation. Yet the pressing challenges of regional conflicts, climate change, pandemics, nuclear risks, cyber threats, terrorism and widening inequalities demand collective solutions. Survival and peace depend on the recognition of a "community with a shared future for mankind." The spirit of cooperation shown by India and China during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression illustrates that moral conviction, solidarity and common purpose can and must transcend ideology.
GT: In his speech at a symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, President Xi emphasized that "the great spirit of resisting aggression bred during the war is an invaluable source of inspiration, and will always motivate the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and strive to achieve national rejuvenation." How do you understand the great spirit of resisting aggression, and what value and significance does it hold in contemporary times?
Deepak: The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was not only a decisive chapter in China's contribution to the global victory over fascism, but also a formative experience for the Chinese nation and the Communist Party of China (CPC). In that prolonged and brutal struggle, freedom was attained through human sacrifice, unprecedented in history, as well as the devastation of its economy and the destruction of its cities, yet the nation persevered. This resilience forged a spirit characterized by patriotism, unity, sacrifice, perseverance in adversity and an unyielding determination to defend national sovereignty. It was during this period that the CPC expanded its influence, building deep bonds with the people through guerrilla resistance, mass mobilization and the promise of a "new China." The war left a lasting legacy: the conviction that national rejuvenation could only be achieved through self-reliance, popular support and unremitting struggle.
This spirit was carried forward during the reform period, resulting in the realization of the "Four Modernizations" through a long-term strategy of making China rich and powerful. This was also the period when China became integrated into global markets, supply chains were gradually created through painstaking efforts and China was turned into a "world factory." In the new era, the concept of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation is thus inseparable from the wartime legacy. Rejuvenation is not seen as a sudden achievement, but as the cumulative result of generations of struggle against foreign oppression and internal weakness.
By linking the War of Resistance to today's goals, the CPC situates its reform and modernization program in a historical continuum of struggle and renewal. The wartime lesson is that no hardship is insurmountable if the nation is united. In this sense, the great spirit nurtured by the Chinese people during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is not only a memory of sacrifice but also a living source of strength, and today it continues to guide China in building a modern socialist country.
GT: China will hold a grand gathering, which will include a military parade, to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. As noted in Volume II, "The People's Liberation Army of China must faithfully fulfill the sacred duty of protecting the nation's security and people's wellbeing, and carry out the noble mission of upholding world peace." How do you view the contemporary significance of commemorating the victory as well as the necessity of developing China's armed forces?
Deepak: The 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War is of enduring contemporary importance. For China, commemorating this event honors the sacrifice of more than 35 million victims of foreign invasion while reaffirming the hard-won sovereignty and dignity secured after the "century of humiliation." The military parade and grand gathering at Tian'anmen Square symbolize the determination of the Chinese people to never again allow their nation to be trampled on by external powers.
Internationally, this commemoration reminds the world that victory over fascism was a collective endeavor, and that China, despite its poverty and weakness at the time, played a decisive role as the main Eastern battlefield of World War II. By highlighting these sacrifices, China both defends its rightful place as a victor and major contributor to the post-war order and issues a call for peace, stressing that the tragedies of war must never be repeated.
War memory also illuminates the necessity of building strong armed forces. The devastation of past invasions taught China that weakness invites aggression, while strength safeguards sovereignty. Thus, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) bears the dual mission of "protecting the nation's security and people's wellbeing" and "upholding world peace." Domestically, a modernized PLA ensures that China can defend its territorial integrity and development interests amid challenges such as terrorism, cyber threats, and external invasions and interference. Internationally, the PLA increasingly contributes to peace through UN peacekeeping operations, anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and humanitarian relief missions. These actions demonstrate China's determination to act as a provider of security.
Source: Global Times:
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
Email: editor@globaltimes.com.cn
Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
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