Independent Media interviewed Charge d’Affairs Li Nan of the Chinese Embassy on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
Q: This year marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. We have noted that despite the rapid spreading of Covid-19, many European countries such as the UK, France and Germany, as well as Russia and China, are still holding various forms of commemorative events. What do you think is the significance of these commemorations?
A: History is a textbook as well as a dose of sobriety. The Second World War was an unprecedented catastrophe in the history of mankind. Fascism and militarism wreaked havoc and plunged most parts of the world into battlefields of blood and fire. Countries around the world, including China and African countries, have paid a heavy price for it.
Most people who lived through World War II have rested in peace. Since we can freely breathe the air of peace today, we shall be more grateful and cherish the hard-won peace. The Chinese people believe that “harmony is the most precious”, and there is also an African proverb saying that “the only way to peace is peace itself”. The yearning for peace which is the prerequisite for human development and prosperity represents the shared aspiration of the people in China, Africa and the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, 75 years later, our world is still far from peaceful and tranquil. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges keep emerging and the Sword of Damocles for war is still hanging over the head of mankind. The Covid-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to human society. With its fast speed of spreading, far-reaching and devastating impact, the Covid-19 pandemic is dubbed by many as the “Third World War”. In the face of severe global challenges, some countries have indulged in unilateralism and bullying. They incited ideological confrontations, created conflicts and divisions, and pursued the “new Cold War”, which has seriously undermined multilateralism, the international order and governance system, as well as the joint efforts of the international community to combat the pandemic.
At this critical juncture of mankind, our commemoration of the victory of the Second World War is of more special and far-reaching significance. History has taught us that prejudice, discrimination, hatred and war can only bring disaster and suffering. Solidarity and cooperation is the powerful and magic weapon to defeat the enemy and difficulties.
Forgetting history means betrayal. 75 years ago, it was the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France, China and many other countries that joined hands to form the World Anti-Fascist Alliance, which saved people from the abyss of misery. 75 years later, countries around the world shall take history as a mirror, strengthen the determination to safeguard peace, step up solidarity and cooperation to defeat the novel coronavirus, reject the “political virus” of prejudice and hatred, so as to lead mankind out of the dark hour, and jointly promote the development and progress of human society.
Q: Speaking of the Second World War, people always think of such historical moments at the European battlefield as the Evacuation of Dunkirk and the D-Day Landing, but people know little about the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression at the Far East battlefield. What is the significance and contribution of China’s Anti-Japanese War to the victory of World War II?
A: During the Second World War, China was the major battlefield to fight against Japanese fascism as well as the major Far East battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese soldiers and people fought dauntlessly and heroically against the Japanese invaders and suffered massive casualties, thus making indelible contributions to the victory of the Second World War.
In fact, the battle in China lasted a very long time with large geographical areas affected and a great number of people involved. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression began in 1931 before the full outbreak of World War II. It lasted for 14 years until its final victory in 1945. China defeated 1.5 million Japanese troops, accounting for about 70% of the total casualties of the Japanese army in the Second World War, and successfully containing the main forces of the Japanese army at the Far East battlefield, thus effectively curbing the expansion of Japanese militarism.
The Chinese people have always fought side by side with the people of other countries in the world. When China still had a hard time fighting against the Japanese invaders at the Far East battlefield, we provided a large amount of strategic supplies and military intelligence to our allies, and offered them human resources, material and financial support, thus playing an important role in strategic support for the victory of the anti-Fascist war in other parts of the world.
During the Second World War, China suffered 35 million military and civilian casualties, accounting for about one third of the total casualties of the world. China had the largest number of casualties in World War II, with direct economic losses of more than 100 billion US dollars and indirect economic losses of more than 500 billion US dollars.
The great sacrifice and significant contributions made by the Chinese people for the final victory of World War II and the salvation of mankind have been fully recognized by other countries in the world. China’s status as a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council speaks volumes about the universal acknowledgment of the contribution of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression by the anti-Fascist Allies.
Q: As the only superpower in the world, the United States is one of the founders of the post-war international order and system. However, President Trump, by putting America first, has withdrawn from many international organizations and treaties, and stepped up strategic competition with China, which has raised concerns about the future direction of the international order. What is your view on this?
A: Both China and the United States are the founders of the post-war international order and two major countries with important influence in today’s world. The two economies combined account for over one third of the world total and contribute over 50% of the global economic growth. China and the US shoulder important responsibilities on almost all global issues concerning world peace and development. How China and the US get along with each other bears on not only the well-being of the 1.7 billion people in our two countries, but also the future of more than 7 billion people around the world.
Confronted with such global challenges as the Covid-19 pandemic, China and the US, as two major countries, shall strengthen cooperation and shoulder their due responsibilities for the global Covid-19 response. However, the US is bent on putting its own interests first, pursues unilateralism and hegemonism to the extreme, and has even walked away from its international responsibilities and abandoned multilateral rules, thus plunging the UN, the WTO, the WHO and other international organizations into difficulties.
China is committed to the path of peaceful development and strives to benefit the whole world with its own development. China has never thought of ruling the world. China’s active participation in global governance is not aimed to replace anyone, but to play its due role as a major country. In fact, the competition between China and the US in terms of international order and global governance boils down to the choice of multilateralism or unilateralism, and fairness and justice or hegemony and power politics.
China is willing to work with the US to build a coordinated, cooperative and stable China-US relationship in the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. The US shall honour the principle of sovereign equality among states enshrined in the UN Charter, learn and adapt to peacefully coexisting with different systems and civilizations, so as to inject stability into the current international order which is full of uncertainties. This not only meets the expectations of the people in Africa and other parts of the world, but also bears on human progress and development.
Q: The most important achievement after the victory of the Second World War is the establishment of the international order with the United Nations at its core, which has created favorable conditions for the long-term peace, development, stability and prosperity of the world. Some people say that China’s rapid development is attributed to a “free ride” on the existing international order. Some even say China now pursues a “revisionist” approach after scoring a lot of development achievements. What is your comment on this?
A: This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Over the past 75 years, the international order with the UN at its core has embodied the outcome of the anti-Fascist war and international fairness and justice. China was directly involved in the building of the post-war international order. As a founding member of the United Nations, China was the first country to put its signature on the Charter of the United Nations. President Xi Jinping has made it clear on many occasions that China is a participant, contributor and beneficiary of the current international system.
China firmly upholds the international order with the United Nations at its core. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence put forth by China have become the basic norms governing international relations. China has become the second largest contributor of UN membership dues and peacekeeping funds, and has dispatched the largest number of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. 75% of China’s peacekeeping funds are channeled to Africa, and 80% of China’s peacekeeping personnel are deployed in Africa. Up to now, China has established diplomatic relations with 180 countries, forged partnerships with 110 countries, and participated in almost all intergovernmental international organizations and more than 500 international conventions.
We are well aware that the international system with the United Nations at its core and the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core are the international institutional environment on which China’s rapid development depends. While fully and deeply integrating itself into the international system, China has taken an active part in reforming and improving the global governance system and endeavored to make the current international order more just and equitable. China has initiated and taken an active part in such cooperation platforms as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Boao Forum for Asia, the BRICS cooperation mechanism and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. We are glad to see that the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by China has become a common road to opportunity and prosperity for all countries along the route. All of these efforts made by China have injected strong impetus into the global governance system.
The collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries, represented by China, is the trend of history and the times. Labeling China with revisionism is a misjudgment of the development trends of China and our times. As Martin Jacques, a famous British scholar said, the Chinese dream brings new possibilities for the real democratization of international rules. A series of new ideas, such as building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, demonstrate China’s deep understanding of globalization and the new stage of human development.
Now China has become a stable force injecting certainty into the changing world and contributing positive energy to global governance. In the face of the raging COVID-19, China, in keeping with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, has carried out the largest scale emergency humanitarian assistance worldwide, providing emergency medical supplies to over 150 countries and international organizations. Confronted with rampant bullying and unilateralism, China upholds multilateralism, staunchly supports the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order guided by international law, promotes multi-polarity, and firmly safeguards the common interests of Africa and other developing countries.
As a responsible major country, China will always be a champion of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. China will take a more active part in reforming and improving the global governance system, join hands with the international community including African countries to resolutely safeguard the outcomes of the victory of World War II, give full play to the central role of the UN and build a community with a shared future for mankind. All countries around the world are welcome to board the express train of China’s development and share development opportunities.