Xi opposes attempts to deny history

Common front with other nations promotes building of equitable world

President Xi Jinping has succeeded in winning broad support for his country's efforts to fight attempts to deny World War II history during his trip to Eurasia.

This will surely give more prominence to China's celebrations marking victory in World War II and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), scheduled for Sept 3.

Xi's move to build a united front is apparently stepping up pressure on the Japanese government under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been criticized for not facing up to the systematic war crimes his country committed.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday, "Sept 3, just like May 9, Belarus' victory day against Nazi Germany, is our common festive day."

Both leaders lauded the bonds that the nations forged during World War II, stressing that China and Belarus fought side by side and made indelible contributions to the final victory.

Accompanied by Lukashenko, Xi visited the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War (1941-45), which is featuring a special exhibition about Chinese and Belarusians fighting together in World War II.

Xi also presented medals to 15 Belarusian veterans of World War II. Eleven of the veterans, who are in their 80s and 90s, once fought shoulder to shoulder with Chinese troops in Northeast China.

A 93-year-old veteran surnamed Rezkovskiy said the award ceremony offers a chance to remember history and cherish hard-won world peace.

Xi said that while China's war against Japanese aggression was the earliest and longest chapter in World War II history, Belarus fired the first shot in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.

During World War II more than 2 million Belarusians died and China's casualties reached 35 million.

Warning people not to forget the historical truth about World War II, Lukashenko said Belarus appreciated China's absolute commitment to safeguarding world peace and justice through celebrating the 70th anniversary of victory in the war.

Xi added that the countries should boost their cooperation and coordination within the framework of international organizations and promote the building of a more equitable and reasonable world order.

Chen Yurong, a senior researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said the shared goals voiced by China, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan to remember history are sending signals to the international community that the nations have a strong determination "to prevent wartime history from being distorted and to maintain world peace".

Feng Yujun, a senior researcher of Russian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that the war brought huge misery to people, and soldiers "were fighting together, shoulder to shoulder, on separate fronts and on separate occasions against Nazi Germany or the Imperial Japanese Army.

"As the then Soviet Union soldiers joined the fight against the Japanese invaders inNortheast China, their participation indeed helped accelerate or prompt the surrender of Japan in 1945," Feng said.

Contact the writers at xingzhigang@chinadaily.com.cn and zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn