Military leader calls for remembrance, stronger army

"Roads ahead are not easy, as China strives to realize the dream of national revival," Fan said, adding challenges and pressures are bigger as China grows stronger.

Complete National unification has not been achieved, with continued territorial and maritime disputes with relevant countries and a rise in factors affecting state security, he said.

Fan reiterated China's adherence to the peaceful development path, without intention for hegemony and expansionism.

However, Fan said China will certainly not submit to humiliation, adding, "At the word of command of the CPC Central Committee, CMC and Chairman Xi, the military must fight and win," in case the state sovereignty and territorial integrity are under major threat.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the end of WWII. Japan signed its formal surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, and China celebrated its victory the following day. China will hold a military parade on Sept. 3 at Beijing's Tian'anmen Square to commemorate the great victory.

More than 35 million Chinese were killed or injured in the anti-Japanese war, one-third of all who fell or were injured during WWII, according to incomplete official statistics. In the Nanjing Massacre of December 1937 alone, Japanese troops slaughtered at least 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.

However, no sincere repentance over wartime history has been made by Japan's Abe cabinet.