The Chinese and US militaries held a ceremony in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Tuesday to hand over the remains of US service members.

At the ceremony, held at the Jianchuan Museum Cluster, China handed over a batch of remains of US pilots who assisted China in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). The remains were recovered from areas along the Hump Route, an air route over the Himalayas to transport critical supplies to the Chinese troops during World War II.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense said the cooperation between China and the United States in searching for the remains of missing US personnel in China reflects the history of the two countries fighting side by side against Japanese fascism during WWII.

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Over the years, China has consistently assisted the US in locating the remains of its missing personnel in the spirit of humanitarianism, the ministry said.

China is willing to continue practical cooperation with the US in this field and make positive contributions to building a constructive relationship of strategic stability between the two countries, it added.