By: Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, Zhao Xing–
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s recovery. On September 3rd, China will hold a grand commemorative event in Beijing. President Xi Jinping will deliver an important speech and inspect the troops.
Eighty years ago, the Chinese people, with unwavering determination, waged a 14-year-long arduous and heroic struggle. During this period, the Communist Party of China played a pivotal role, uniting people of all ethnics to fight bravely in solidarity. This ultimately led to the great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and marking a historic turning point from the grave crisis of modern times toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression served as the main Eastern battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War. It started the earliest, lasted the longest, involved the largest number of enemy troops, and entailed the greatest sacrifices. China suffered over 35 million military and civilian casualties and economic losses worth hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars. Despite this, China pinned down and eliminated large numbers of Japanese militarist forces, effectively supporting the Allies’ operations. In doing so, China made a significant contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and earned widespread respect from peace-loving people around the world.
This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The post-war international order, based on the UN Charter, is one of the key outcomes of the victory in World War II and remains a cornerstone of global peace and stability today. A series of internationally recognized legal documents — including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration — reaffirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. These historical and legal facts are indisputable, and the authority of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 cannot be challenged.
Afghanistan also has long suffered from foreign invasions, enduring years of war and devastation. It is now at a crucial stage of post-war reconstruction. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Afghanistan. As close neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, China has consistently supported Afghanistan’s peaceful and stable development, worked to prevent the resurgence of terrorism, firmly opposed foreign interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, and has spoken up for Afghanistan on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, urging the international community to offer firm support.
Today, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. Humanity faces both a brighter future and daunting challenges, such as unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonism. We must safeguard the hard-won victory of the World War II, uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. We must continue to promote an equal and orderly multi-polar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order.
For this purpose, we will remain committed to the path of peaceful development, advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.We promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and actively practice the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, to contribute more wisdom and strength to building a world with lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.
