Consul General Wang Baodong’s Speech at the Reception Marking the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War

(July 22, 2025)

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends:

Good evening!

It is my great honor to welcome you tonight as we commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, I extend my heartfelt welcome to all our guests, and express my sincere respect to all foreign friends who provided invaluable support and made outstanding contributions to the Chinese people during the war.

Eighty years ago, after an arduous and heroic struggle, we won the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. This calamity, which swept across five continents, destroyed countless cities, towns and families and took tens of millions of lives. It remains a tragic and weighty chapter in human history. As the main battlefield in the East, China was the first to resist Japanese militarist aggression, beginning with the “September 18th Incident” in 1931. After 14 years of bitter struggle and at the cost of 35 million military and civilian casualties, China effectively pinned down the main forces of the Japanese army and provided critical strategic support to the global anti-fascist forces. As Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out, the Chinese Communist Party fought bravely on the front lines of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, carried the hopes of national survival, and became the central pillar of the nationwide resistance. 

In 1941, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor shocked the world. The United States immediately declared war on Japan, and the Pacific War broke out in full. As the U.S. and other countries joined the anti-fascist struggle, the global anti-fascist alliance gradually took shape, and the strategic importance of the Chinese battlefield became increasingly prominent. China and the United States fought side by side and supported each other, helping to push this war of justice toward final victory.

It was through this joint fight against fascism that 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 Miss Minnie Vautrin from Illinois, who stood up during the Nanjing Massacre and protected tens of thousands of innocent civilians on her own. We will never forget the Flying Tigers, whose pilots risked their lives flying over the famed Hump route to deliver urgently needed supplies to China. We will never forget journalist Edgar Snow from Missouri, who went to the front lines of China’s War of Resistance, rescued Chinese resisters at great personal risk, and reported on the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts against Japanese aggression. These enduring bonds of friendship have stood the test of time and remain an important spiritual wealth that enables the Chinese and American peoples to continue walking side by side today.

Ladies and gentlemen, friends,

The lessons of history must be remembered and passed on to future generations. Over the past 80 years, this hard-won victory has continued to inspire people around the world to pursue peace and oppose war. Given the growing complexity and frequent regional conflicts in today’s world, commemorating the victory against fascism is all the more invaluable. We do not do so to perpetuate hatred, but to remind the world that the tragedies of history must never be repeated, and the value of peace must be firmly upheld.

In this context, I would like to share four key lessons we have drawn from the victory:

First, to uphold and consolidate the fruits of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, we must adhere to the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Today, profound changes unseen in a century are unfolding at an accelerated pace. Humanity once again stands at a crossroads: unity or division, dialogue or confrontation, mutual benefit or zero-sum game. President Xi Jinping has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, offering China's proposals for solving global problems and building a better future. These initiatives have brought precious stability and certainty to a world filled with turbulence and change. Looking ahead, China will continue to work together with all peace-loving countries and peoples to uphold the right path, follow the trend of the times, safeguard international fairness and justice, and maintain world peace and stability.

Second, to uphold and consolidate the fruits of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, we must defend the post-war international order. The victory of the anti-fascist war laid the foundation for the international order with the United Nations at its core. This order was the result of the collective efforts and sacrifices of all human kinds. We firmly believe that there is only one international system which is with the United Nations at its core, and only one set of rules which are the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. 

According to legal documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, China lawfully and effectively recovered Taiwan at the end of World War II, which had been seized by Japan, and which is an integral part of the post-war international order. The separatist forces advocating “Taiwan independence” and the external forces behind them are the true culprits undermining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the biggest threat to peace and stability in the region. We hope the U.S. side will adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, implement its serious commitments of not supporting “Taiwan independence” and not using Taiwan to contain China. The U.S. side should work with China to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and strengthen the overall China-U.S. relationship.

Third, to uphold and consolidate the fruits of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, we must adhere to the path of peaceful development. At present, the Chinese Government and people are striding forward on the new journey to build China into a great country, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. China remains unwavering in its pursuit of peaceful development and hopes other countries to uphold the same path. It is only through all countries embracing peaceful development that lasting peace and shared prosperity can be realized.

In response to the complex and challenging external environment this year, China has adopted a more proactive and purposeful macroeconomic policy. In the first half of the year, China’s GDP grew by 5.3% year-on-year. New forms of productive forces such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, new energy, high-end manufacturing, and biotechnology are rapidly strengthening. High-quality development has achieved new results, and the country's comprehensive national strength is flourishing. China has always been a contributor to global development, providing more than 30 percent of world economic growth for many consecutive years and becoming an "anchor of stability" in a volatile international environment. 

China resolutely opposes all forms of unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonic bullying. We advocate advancing the construction of an equal and orderly multi-polar world, and a mutually beneficial, inclusive economic globalization. Through high-quality joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative, hosting the China International Import Expo, the China International Consumer Products Expo and other constructive actions, China is steadily converting its development opportunities and vast domestic market into shared global prosperity, ensuring that the achievements of Chinese modernization bring greater benefits to peoples of all countries.

Fourth, to uphold and consolidate the fruits of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, we must persist in exploring the right way for the two great powers, China and the U.S., to get along with each other. As the largest developing and developed countries, how China and the U.S. manage their relationship affects not only their respective major interests, but also the future destiny of the world. 

At present, President Xi Jinping and President Trump have maintained frequent and consistent communication, charting the course and steering the ship of China-U.S. relations in the right direction. Recent high-level economic and trade consultations between China and the United States have produced positive outcomes, which are in the shared interests of both peoples. Not long ago, the foreign ministers of China and the U.S. held a successful meeting in Kuala Lumpur, where they reached a common understanding on enhancing engagement, preventing miscalculation, managing differences, and expanding areas of cooperation.

History tells us that China and the U.S. stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. There is no winner in tariff wars or trade wars, and there is no way out for decoupling and severing supply chains. China is willing to work with the U.S. side, on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, to foster a correct perception on each other, enhance mutual trust, and focus on common interests, so as to promote the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations. This will also contribute new relevance in our era to the preservation of the hard-won outcomes of the World Anti-Fascist War.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, friends, 

History, if not forgotten, can serve as a guide for the future. Amidst the hardships and trials of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese people stood shoulder to shoulder with the global anti-fascist forces and achieved a just and hard-won victory. This chapter of history not only carries the heroic and unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation but also vividly reminds us of the preciousness of peace that was hard won. Let us inherit and carry forward the great spirit of the War of Resistance by overcoming division through unity, resolving confrontation through cooperation, and replacing zero-sum competition 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 and more glorious future.

Thank you all!