Mongolian, Soviet war dead honored

Veterans from Russia and Mongolia attend a wreathlaying ceremony at Sumeng Martyrs' Cemetery at Yehu Mountain in North China's Hebei province. E. Luvsanbaldan, 91, from Mongolia, lays flowers, and T. BatOchir (left), also from Mongolia, salutes. WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY

Beijing-based foreign diplomats visited a monument on Tuesday in Zhangjiakou, 250 kilometers northwest of the Chinese capital, that marks the scene of one of the last battles of World War II.

The Russian and Mongolian ambassadors laid wreaths at the foot of the Mongolian and Soviet Soldiers Monument in the city in Hebei province, commemorating the battle of Langwogou, which took place in August 1945 just before Japan's surrender.

During the battle, soldiers from the Soviet Union and Mongolia killed and captured more than 860 Japanese soldiers at a cost of 60 lives.

"The war that we fought together has left a great page in our countries' history and become a shared memory that our people should feel proud of," said Tsedenjav Sukhbaatar, the Mongolian ambassador to China.

Andrey Denisov, the Russian ambassador, said: "People will never forget the contributions to world peace made by the Soviet Union, China and Mongolia. We are here today to tell the real history, to remember our people's sacrifices and to make sure the historic tragedy never happens again.

"Russia stands firmly against any attempt to distort history or to beautify the German or Japanese invaders." Denisov added. "We believe such behaviors will put world peace and stability in danger."

Besides the diplomats, two Mongolian veterans who survived the battle, along with some descendants of those who died in the war, went to the martyrs' cemetery to pay tribute to their past companions and forebears.

E. Luvsanbaldan, a 91-year-old Mongolian veteran, said he was delighted to return to the place where he once fought and to pay respects to his brothers who sacrificed their lives.

The people of the three countries "should not forget that we won this great war through joint fights", he said.

Zhou Limin, deputy mayor of Zhangjiakou, highlighted the bravery of the soldiers who fell in the battle.

Soviet and Mongolian soldiers, along with Chinese people, "fought a bloody fight here 70 years ago, during which the soldiers sacrificed their lives for justice and peace for humanity", he said.

Contact the writers at chenmengwei@chinadaily.com.cn; wangxu@chinadaily.com.cn