On Wednesday, China held a historic military parade and cultural performance to commemorate the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) as well as the defeat of the fascist aggressors during World War II. This is the second time that China has staged a large-scale military parade to celebrate its victory, but compared to the first such celebration, held in 2015, this year’s military parade was not just grander, with more advanced military hardware on display; the vision was broader and the messages more powerful. It is time for the world to take heed.
The additional reference to the victory over fascist powers is significant. Many in the West glossed over the fact that China and the former Soviet Union suffered the heaviest casualties (35 million in the case of China and 27 million in the case of the Soviet Union) in the fight against the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and imperialist Japan), and played a pivotal role in bringing the aggressors to their knees. As Harvard University historian Rana Mitter has pointed out, China battled the Japanese aggressors on its own from 1931 to 1941, when Japan’s unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii forced the United States to enter the conflict. The Chinese resistance to Japan’s invasion, comprising both the regular armies of the Kuomintang and the guerrilla warfare waged by the Communists, bogged down the Japanese armies in China’s interior. The heroism and sacrifice made by the Chinese people were decisive factors in the Allies’ final victory over the fascist aggressors. This is a historic fact that the world needs to be reminded of, and the honor bestowed on the surviving veterans drives home China’s epic sufferings and contributions.
Another significant message imparted by the high-level international gathering at the parade is the emergence of a new international order. Compared to the celebration 10 years ago, more than 60 senior statesmen joined the celebration, from China’s Eurasian neighbors to European friends and Southeast Asian trading partners. But the most striking image is the photo of President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, at the helm of the foreign delegation. Not that the three leaders are forming a triumvirate to rule the world, but the message they convey is clear — they share a common commitment to the defense of their sovereignty, national security and developmental interests, and collectively they represent massive economic, technological and military power that the world cannot afford to ignore.
As American political scientist John Mearsheimer has reiterated, the international order has moved from being a bipolar world (between the US and the Soviet Union) after World War II to a unipolar world dominated by the US in 1991, and now a multipolar world. Western powers need to wake up to this new reality, and work with China as the advocate of peace and prosperity for all
The union of the three leaders is not just about power. It sends strong signals to the world that the West’s ideological dichotomy of the world into “democracy” versus “autocracy” is hopelessly feckless and out of date. The latest comments of Kaja Kallas, the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Commission, that the trio represents an “autocratic alliance” that challenges “the rules-based order”, are indicative of many Western leaders’ dishonesty, hypocrisy and ignorance about history. The so-called “rules-based order” has been brutally shattered by the United States under President Donald Trump, who has threatened friends and foes alike with punitive tariffs, sanctions and military strikes, and shredded the vibrant trade and economic ties that had bound the world together and lifted millions out of poverty. The US, the so-called “leader of the free world”, has flouted global trade rules and jettisoned climate agreements. Its redoubled championing of fossil fuels, a new armament race and fiscal profligacy have plunged our planet into a permacrisis of instability, insecurity and inequality.
What is particularly galling are some Western countries’ baseless accusations against China of “genocide” and “forced labor” in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, when they have failed to take any effective action against clear and present genocidal actions by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza. In contrast, China stands for peace, prosperity and predictability. As Xi articulated in his keynote address on Wednesday, the Chinese people are not afraid of brute force and violence. China’s resolute fight against the fascist aggressors fully demonstrates that China stands for “justice versus evil, light versus darkness, progress versus retrogression”. As Xi pointed out, humanity is now at a critical juncture facing a choice between “war and peace, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum game”. The show of unity of foreign leaders at the 80th anniversary celebrations is more than a show of strength — it is a call to the world to welcome the dawn of a new international order.
On Wednesday, China wowed the world with the unveiling of its latest, leading-edge weapons, including its fifth-generation two-seat stealth fighter jets, the nuclear-capable, air-launched ballistic missile JL-1, and other missile systems that complete China’s “land, sea and air” trifecta of nuclear forces. Not that China wants to launch a nuclear attack, but the bitter lessons of foreign aggression during World War II and the numerous superpower attacks on weaker countries since then hammer home the need to defend China with battle-ready troops and advanced weaponry as the most effective deterrence.
As American political scientist John Mearsheimer has reiterated, the international order has moved from being a bipolar world (between the US and the Soviet Union) after World War II to a unipolar world dominated by the US in 1991, and now a multipolar world. Western powers need to wake up to this new reality, and work with China as the advocate of peace and prosperity for all.
The author is convenor of the Executive Council and a legislator.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
