China’s Commitment to Peaceful Development Highlighted on 80th Anniversary of Victory Day
On September 3, China held a commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. In light of this occasion, CGTN released an article emphasizing China’s commitment to peaceful development in a world full of turbulence and uncertainty.
Chinese troops, with experience in United Nations peacekeeping operations, participated for the first time in a V-Day parade on Tian’anmen Square in the heart of Beijing on Wednesday.
Their participation in the parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II is a demonstration of Beijing’s commitment to fulfilling international obligations and maintaining world peace.
As part of the Peacekeeping Force Formation, they were among the troops visited by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Chang’an Avenue, the Avenue of Eternal Peace.
„Today, humanity must once again choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum game,“ Xi, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, declared in a speech.
The Chinese people will firmly stand on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, Xi promised.
„We will continue on the path of peaceful development and join hands with the rest of the world to build a community with a shared future for mankind,“ he said.
Peace Prevails
Among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China is the largest troop contributor and the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping missions.
Over the past 35 years since China joined UN peacekeeping missions, the Chinese military has deployed over 50,000 peacekeepers in more than 20 countries and regions, including South Sudan and Lebanon, and conducted 26 missions.
Especially in 2024, China’s contribution to the total assessments reached 18.69%, surpassing the contributions of the United Kingdom, France, and Russia, the three other permanent members of the UN Security Council, combined.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, commended China’s contributions.
China has played a „significant, constructive, and helpful“ role in supporting UN peacekeeping operations, Lacroix said in an interview with CGTN in May, ahead of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
China also has the best record among major powers when it comes to peace and security. Since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, it has never provoked a war, occupied an inch of another country’s territory, or engaged in a proxy war.
It is the only major country in the world to embed the path of peaceful development in its constitution, and the only nuclear-armed country committed to not being the first to use nuclear weapons.
During Wednesday’s parade, Chinese soldiers chanted in unison, „Justice will prevail! Peace will prevail! The people will prevail!“
This message was underscored when three helicopters flew over the grand assembly for the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, carrying banners with the same words.
As the main eastern theater of World War II, the Chinese resistance war provided crucial strategic support for the operations of the Allies, coordinating with operations in Europe and other parts of Asia, contributing to victory.
More than 20 foreign heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, also attended the commemorative ceremony.
In his address, Xi called on nations worldwide to eliminate the causes of war and prevent historical tragedies from recurring.
Common security can only be ensured when nations worldwide treat each other as equal partners, live in harmony, and support each other, Xi said.
„History teaches us that humanity rises and falls together,“ he said.
Contact:
Jiang Simin,
cgtn@cgtn.com