Military leader calls for remembrance, stronger army

BEIJING - Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice-Chairman Fan Changlong called for remembering wartime history and maintaining a stronger army to safeguard state sovereignty, security and development interests in Monday's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily.

With Victory Day to celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the end of WWII one month away, Fan called on all peace lovers to "remain highly vigilant to efforts to glorify invasions and colonialism."

In a PLA Daily article, Fan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said, "There are always some forces on the international stage and in Japan that try to deny the brutal Japanese militarism invasion and barbaric crimes, and pay respect to the shrine honoring the war criminals."

Fan said the victory in the anti-Japanese war and World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the post-WWII order based on the UN charter, should be "firmly guarded," and any distortions of history should be absolutely forbidden.

Commemorating wartime history is not intended to "continue the hatred," but to "draw lessons from history in order to face the future," Fan wrote.

He noted that national defense and the military are a "strong backing" for state security and development.