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Sixtieth Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War Commemorated

A Series of Activities Held in Beijing to Commemorate 60th Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War

Our Staff Reporter

September 3， 2005 marked the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On this day， Party and state leaders of China together with people of all walks of life in the capital attended a series of commemorative activities. Also present at these activities were more than 200 World War II veterans or their surviving relatives from 22 countries who had come to China at the invitation of the CPAFFC.

Ceremony of Laying Floral Baskets at Monument to People’s Heroes

At 9 a.m. on September 3， the ceremony of laying floral baskets was held in front of the Monument to the People’s Heroes at the Tian’anmen Square. President Hu Jintao， NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wu Banguo， Premier Wen Jiabao， CPPCC National Committee Chairman Jia Qinglin， Vice President Zeng Qinghong and other Party and state leaders， together with 10，000 people from all walks of life in the capital， gathered at the square to attend the ceremony to cherish the memory of the glorious achievements of the martyrs who gave their lives heroically in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and fully express the firm belief of the Chinese people to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and promote peace and development for humanity.

The military band played the National Anthem of the People’s Republic of China at the ceremony. A 60-gun salute symbolizing the 60th anniversary of the victory of the war of resistance was fired into the sky over the square. And then， all stood in silent tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the war of resistance and paid respects to the war veterans， old comrades， patriots and commanders at home and abroad， and foreign friends who had made contributions to the victory of the war.

The nine floral baskets presented by the CPC Central Committee， the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress， the State Council， the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference， the Central Military Commission， war veterans， democratic parties， the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and nonparty personages， people’s organizations， and people of all walks of life in the capital were carried to and placed before the pedestal of the monument by 18 soldiers. The words “Eternal glory to the martyrs of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression” were written on the ribbons attached to the floral baskets. The blooming flowers carried people’s remembrance and respects for the martyrs. More than 6，000 peace doves flew into the sky and circled over the square， expressing the Chinese people’s love of peace.

Grand Commemorative Meeting

At 10 a.m.， a grand commemorative meeting was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Hu Jintao， Jiang Zemin， Wu Bangguo， Wen Jiabao， Jia Qinglin， Zeng Qinghong， Huang Ju， Wu Guanzheng， Li Changchun， Luo Gan and other leading comrades among about 6，000 representatives of war veterans， leaders of the central Party， government and military departments， people’s organizations and the Beijing Municipal Government， leading members of the central committee of various democratic parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and representatives of personages with no party affiliation， representatives of patriots and commanders or their surviving relatives at home and abroad， representatives of foreign friends who contributed to the victory of the war， diplomats from the embassies in China and representatives of various social circles in the capital， attended the meeting.

Wu Bangguo， chairman of the NPC Standing Committee， declared the opening of the meeting. All present rose to their feet and sang the National Anthem.

President Hu Jintao delivered an important speech. On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China， the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress， the State Council， the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the Central Military Commission， he extended sincere respects to all war veterans， patriots and commanders who took part in the war of resistance， and all Chinese at home and abroad who contributed significantly to the victory of the war， and heartfelt gratitude to foreign governments and friends that supported and assisted the Chinese people during the war.

At the proposal of President Hu Jintao， all present rose in silent tribute to the martyrs and the innocent victims of the war of resistance and the Anti-Fascist War.

In his speech， Hu Jintao stressed， by solemnly commemorating the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War， we will keep history firmly in mind， never forget the past， cherish peace and create a better future. To refresh the memory should spur us forward to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation， so as to further promote the noble cause of peace and development of the human race.

He pointed out， the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Anti-Fascist War in the 1930s and 1940s were a life-and-death struggle between the countries and peoples that loved peace and justice and the ruthless enemies of human civilization. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War， and China was its main battleground in the East. The brazen aggression against China by Japanese militarists plunged the country into an unprecedented national crisis. At this critical juncture when threatened by national subjugation and racial extinction， the Chinese people refused to be slaves and rose up in a heroic resistance. Under the banner of the national united front against Japanese aggression， initiated by the CPC， the Chinese people， basing themselves on the KMT-CPC cooperation， fought against ferocious Japanese aggressors with unparalleled heroism. During the heart-stirring national war of resistance， the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation were all of one mind， resolved to save the country. People from various political parties， ethnic groups， classes， social strata and organizations all rose to fight the common enemy at the time of national crisis. In this protracted， bitter war of resistance， the Chinese people in the end defeated Japanese aggressors thoroughly， in step with the progress of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War went down in the annals by the complete victory for the Chinese people and the peoples of other countries of the world.

Hu Jintao pointed out， the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was inseparable from the sympathy and support of all the peace- and justice-loving countries and peoples， international organizations and various anti-fascist forces. Forever will the Chinese people remember the invaluable contributions made by people all over the world to the victory of China's war of resistance!

Hu Jintao said， the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a war of national liberation， the first in modern history in which China won the complete victory over foreign aggressors. The victory of this war and the world war against fascism was a major event in human history of the 20th century， and it exerted a mayor， profound impact on the development of the Chinese nation and the progress of world civilization. The victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression brought about the thorough defeat of Japanese aggressors， safeguarded China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and spared the Chinese nation of the misfortune of colonial enslavement. The victory of the war further inspired the awakening of the Chinese nation and laid an important foundation for the complete independence and liberation of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC. The victory of the war promoted the great unity of the Chinese nation and carried forward its great spirit. The victory of the war had a great impact on the great cause of the people in other countries to win the victory of the Anti-Fascist War and to safeguard world peace.

Hu Jintao emphasized， fascist aggressors brought an untold disaster to the world and an unparalleled catastrophe to human civilization. Following the victory of the Anti-Fascist War， war criminals of the Nazi Germany were tried at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal， and Japanese war criminals were tried at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the military tribunals in China， the Soviet Union and other countries. Those arch criminals who launched the wars of aggression and had their hands blotted with the blood of the people around the world received their due punishment. Justice and human dignity were upheld， and the common aspiration of the people who love peace and justice all over the world came true. Those are the trials of history! The just nature of the trials is unshakable and allows of no challenge!

Hu Jintao said， reviewing history will inspire and enlighten us so that we can better appreciate today's life and see clearly the way forward. Our planet is the common home of all peoples. The challenges and problems facing human development have to be jointly addressed by the people of all countries. The governments and peoples throughout the world should join hands to undertake the historical mission of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development， and work energetically to promote the establishment of a fair and equitable new international political and economic order. We believe that with the unremitting efforts of all the governments and peoples in the world， we are able to build a better world.

Hu Jintao pointed out， both China and Japan are influential countries in Asia and around the world. The Chinese Government has always attached importance to the Sino-Japanese relations， stayed committed to the policy of promoting the Sino-Japanese friendship and made unremitting efforts to that end. By emphasizing the need to always remember the past， we do not mean to continue the hatred. Instead， we want to draw lessons from history and be forward-looking. Only by remembering the past and drawing lessons from it can one avoid the repetition of historical tragedies. We hope that the Japanese Government and its leaders will， with a highly responsible attitude toward history， the people and the future， and proceeding from the overall interest of the Sino-Japanese friendship， regional stability and development of Asia， handle historical issues in a serious and prudent manner and translate the apologies and remorse they have expressed for that war of aggression into concrete actions. I wish to take this opportunity to reaffirm that the policy of the Chinese Government to carry forward the Sino-Japanese friendship and cooperation remains unchanged. We will strengthen our exchanges and cooperation in a broad range of areas and step up friendly interactions between the two peoples for greater mutual understanding and broader common interests. We are committed to promoting the Sino-Japanese friendship and cooperation in the 21st century with real actions， so as to ensure sound and steady growth of the Sino-Japanese relations and lasting friendship between the two peoples for generations to come.

Hu Jintao said emphatically: “Today， the Chinese nation is facing a rare historical opportunity for development and the bright vista of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unfolding before us. All the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation， our compatriots on the mainland， in Hong Kong， Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese， should feel proud to be members of this nation， assume the historical responsibilities of revitalizing it， and work hard to write a glorious new chapter in the annals of its development. Let us further close our ranks and continue working to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation! Let us continue working hard to build a world that enjoys peaceful development， advanced cultures， and progress!”

Li Shuiqing， former commander of the Second Artillery Force， He Luli， vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the NPC and chairperson of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang， and Zhou Qiang， first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China， spoke at the meeting on behalf of war veterans， various democratic parties， the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and nonparty personages， and various people’s organizations respectively.

The meeting ended amidst the majestic music of The Internationale.

Reception

At 6 p.m.， the reception marking the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti- Fascist War was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Hu Jintao， Wu Bangguo， Wen Jiabao， Jia Qinglin， Zeng Qinghong， Huang Ju， Wu Guanzheng， Li Changchun， Luo Gan and other Party and state leaders joined the representatives of war veterans， patriots and commanders from home and abroad， and foreign friends to commemorate the great victory 60 years ago.

Premier Wen Jiabao spoke at the reception， which was presided over by Jia Qinglin， chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC.

Wen Jiabao said in his speech: “We are commemorating the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression because it is of extremely great historical significance to China. This was a great war of national liberation， in which the Chinese people won a complete victory for the first time in nearly a hundred years. This was a just， progressive war， which marked a historic defining moment of the Chinese nation from national peri1 to national rejuvenation. We are commemorating the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression because the war fought by China was an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War. During the war of resistance， the Chinese people suffered the most， made the biggest sacrifices and fought the longest. The contributions made by the Chinese people to the complete victory of the World Anti-Fascist War are indelible and of historic significance. By commemorating the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， we mean to draw lessons from history， be forward-looking， commit ourselves to the road of peaceful development， and advance the cause of world peace in the new century.”

Wen Jiabao said in the end: “Chinese people of all ethic groups， let us be united to invigorate our national spirit with patriotism at the core and strive to develop China into a prosperous， strong， democratic and culturally advanced modern socialist country and to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation! People of all countries in the world， hand in hand， let us hold high the banner of peace and strive for a fair， equitable and secure new international order and for a new world of peace， amity and harmony!”

Amid the joyful music and friendly sentiments all raised their glasses to toast to the heroes of the war. The banquet hall was permeated with a jubilant and warm atmosphere.

At the reception， Hu Jintao and other Party and state leaders came amongst representatives of war veterans， patriots and commanders from home and abroad and foreign friends， had warm talks with them and wished them good health and a happy life. When he saw Gen. Vladimir Govorov， chairman of the Russian War Veterans Committee， Hu Jintao said to him， we met in Moscow last May. I am very happy to meet you again here today. The Soviet Red Army gave important assistance to the Chinese people to win the war of resistance， for which the Chinese people will never forget. Shaking hands with John Rossi， former US Flying Tigers pilot， Hu said with deep feelings， the Flying Tigers fought the Japanese aggressors shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese armed forces and civilians in the battlefields of the war of resistance. The Chinese people are grateful to the American people for their selfless assistance. He wished the friendship between the Chinese and American people everlasting.

More than 2，100 people attended the reception. They included leading members of the central Party， government， military departments， people’s organizations， and the Beijing Municipal Government， representatives of the central committee of various democratic parties， the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and nonparty personages， and diplomatic envoys from the foreign embassies in China.