(August 16, 2025, 18:30 pm, Chicago AMC River East 21)

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear Friends:

Good evening!

On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Asia Pop-up Cinema and all our guests for attending this special screening of the film “Dead to Rights”, in joint commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. 

Eighty years ago, after arduous and heroic struggles, the Chinese people, together with the American people and people of all countries in the world, won the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. 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 35 million military and civilian casualties, China made irreplaceable historical contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

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 committed the horrific Nanjing Massacre that 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. The film “Dead to Rights” we are watching tonight is actually based on real documented evidence of Japanese military atrocities during the Nanjing Massacre. 

At that time, many international friends in Nanjing also faithfully documented the barbarities of the Japanese militarist forces through their cameras and diaries. Among them was Ms. Minnie Vautrin, from Secor, Illinois, who stayed at Nanjing Ginling College during the Massacre, using it as a temporary shelter, and fought hard to protect tens of thousands of innocent Chinese women and children. The dairy 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 her hometown, Secor, to commemorate her noble humanitarian spirit together with the local people in front of her monument. We welcome you all to visit Secor if you have the chance, to learn about her upbringing, and feel the spiritual imprint left by this great woman.

Another great woman worth remembering is Ms. Iris Chang, a Chinese-American historian, who graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During her lifetime, she consulted a large amount of historical materials from China, Japan, and Western (British and American) perspectives, and wrote The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, exposing that painful chapter of history. 

The severe atrocities committed by Japanese militarist forces during the war of aggression 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.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Today, we remember history and commemorate victory, not to perpetuate hatred or dwell on pains, but to learn from history and create a better future. 

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 tremendous changes. As Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out, through 75 years of perseverant hard work, the Chinese people have turned China from an impoverished country into the second largest economy in the world. Several 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 of China, China’s comprehensive national power continues to grow, the country is prosperous and strong, and the people live and work in contentment. The Chinese people are working in unity to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects, advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, and promote common prosperity through our own development. In the first half of this year, China’s economy keeps the momentum of stable growth, with its GDP growing by 5.3% year-on-year. Despite the headwinds of tariff wars and trade wars, China’s exports of goods increased by 7.2% year-on-year. China has been providing more than 30 percent of world economic growth for many consecutive years, becoming an “anchor of stability” in a volatile international environment.

80 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 the two presidents, our two countries need to work together in the same direction, find a right way to get along with each other in the new era based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

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, work hand in hand to build a community with a shared future for humanity and create a brighter future.