Pictured: Putin, Xi and Kim Jong Un on the rostrum.

by Zhang Bowen and Cao Peixian, Xinhua

Huge crowds packed the centre of Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the Second World War and pledging the country’s commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence and uncertainties.

Towering structures shaped like the Great Wall crowned with giant numerals “1945” and “2025” stood in Tian’anmen Square symbolising the Chinese nation’s courage and solidarity in resisting foreign aggression.

Wearing a dark grey, high-collar suit President Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, oversaw the parade and reviewed the troops. Standing beside Xi on the Tian’anmen Rostrum were Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, along with more than 20 other foreign leaders, some of whom attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held in the city of Tianjin earlier in the week. International organisation leaders such as UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua and for mer political leaders, including former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, also attended.

The commemorative event began at 9am with an 80-gun salute, followed by a solemn
flag-raising ceremony and a chorus of the national anthem. Helicopters flew over the square
carrying banners that read “Justice Prevails”, “Peace Prevails” and “The People Prevail”. The
high-morale, well-equipped soldiers marched along the Chang’an (Eternal Peace) Avenue in tight, powerful formations, their faces lit with confidence and pride. Columns of new tanks, artillery and other military equipment rumbled through the square.

Xi delivered a speech before the parade highlighting the significance of the victory 80 years
ago, which, he said, marked China’s first complete victory against foreign aggression in
modern times.

Xi noted that the Chinese people made a major contribution to the salvation of human civilisation and the defence of world peace with immense sacrifice in the war. He called on nations to “eliminate the root cause of war and prevent historical tragedies from recurring”.

China was the first country to rise against fascist aggression with the longest-lasting resistance that began in 1931. The country tied down and struck over half of Japan’s overseas
forces, at the cost of 35 million military and civilian casualties – accounting for around one-third of all Second World War casualties worldwide.

Chinese soldiers who have participated in UN peace-keeping operations were there. making
their first appearance in a V-Day parade. China is the largest contributor of troops among the ‘Big Five’ veto members of the UN Security Council, having deployed over 5,000 peace-keepers
and maintaining a standing force of 8,000 personnel ready for UN missions, making it a key player in UN peace-keeping operations.

“We have the capability to defend the peace forged with the blood of our forefathers” said
Shao Xiaoguang, a member of the reviewed troops who previously served on a peace-keeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Zhang Zijin, a seven-year-old girl who watched the parade with her parents in the square, says
she dreams of joining the armed forces when she grows up. “I believe if I keep trying, I can make
it come true.”

“Eighty years ago, we were revived. Eighty years later, we are thriving with greater vitality,” said Lyu Shouye, a spectator at the event and a graduate student studying Artificial Intelligence (AI). “Now our country has reached a stage where we need to undertake greater responsibilities.”

And another spectator, Kong Peng from Beijing, said after watching the parade that “it’s clear who’s right and who’s wrong, who’s really standing for peace and who’s trying to be a bully”.