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Chinese president meets Russian war veterans
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-08 21:00
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MOSCOW - Chinese President Hu Jintao met Saturday with representatives of the Russian war veterans who helped China battle Japanese troops in the World Anti-Fascist War.
The Chinese president arrived in Moscow on Saturday to attend ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War over Nazi Germany.
Hours after arriving, the Chinese president met a group of Russian war veterans and expressed gratitude to them for their assistance in fighting the Japanese invaders in northeast China in August 1945.
The Soviet Union fought 80 percent of the German fascist forces in the European theater at a cost of 27 million lives and immeasurable national wealth.
The Soviet army and people defended the sovereignty and dignity of their motherland with their blood and lives, and made great contributions to the victory.
The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an important part of the war and China was its main battleground in the East.
The Chinese people and army annihilated much of Japanese invaders' military strength and crushed the Japanese militarists' attempt to become hegemonious in Asia. The Chinese army and people made great contributions to the world's victory over fascism.
At the crucial stage of China's war against Japan, the Soviet Red Army marched into the battleground in northeast China and joined the Chinese army and people, providing important assistance to China's ultimate victory.
On Sunday, Hu will join other state leaders for the huge parade on Moscow's Red Square and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The Great Patriotic War, an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War, refers to the battles fought by the Soviet Union from June 1941 to May 1945 against Nazi Germany and its allies on the Eastern Front.
Hu, during his meeting with the Russian WWII veterans, said that the Chinese people would never forget the contributions made by the Soviet Red Army to the success of China's Anti-Japanese War.
"We cannot forget that, during the cruel war, many Red Army soldiers came to northeastern China, making an important contribution to the victory of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," Hu said.
Many Russian soldiers and citizens sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Chinese people, he said.
Fighting together in the anti-fascist war, the Chinese and Russian peoples forged a profound friendship, he said.
"The friendship cemented with blood and people's lives lays a solid foundation for the China-Russia strategic relations of cooperation and partnership," Hu said.
It could also ensure the friendship between the two peoples would last from generation to generation, Hu said, urging the two peoples to cherish the hard-won peace.
Hu will stay in Russia until May 9 as the guest of President Dmitry Medvedev.
The Great Patriotic War, an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War, refers to the battles fought by the Soviet Union from June 1941 to May 1945 against Nazi Germany and its allies on the Eastern Front.
