77 years ago, on July 7 1937, Japanese military planes bombed the city of Wanping. On that day, Japan launched its war of aggression against China, and that was the day on which the Chinese nation began its courageous resistance against the aggressors. This war, involving a degree of savagery unprecedented in history, caused an awakening and a vigorous popular uprising against the invader, and represented the first blow in the battle against fascism in the east.

At this critical juncture, vital to the future of China, it was the Communist Party of China (CPC) who acted quickly to defend the country and defeat the aggressors. Under the banner of the united front against Japan, established at the initiative of the CPC, the KMT and the CPC cooperated in the fight against Japan. After eight years of bloody fighting, the Chinese people won a great victory. The sacrifice for the freedom of China had been great- more than 35 million Chinese people lost their lives. The victory was a critical turning point for the revitalization of the Chinese nation, and also a successful contribution to the worldwide fight against fascism.

We cannot allow good to become confused with evil. We cannot allow this historical tragedy to recur. Today, as we commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of China, our intention is to respect and safeguard grave historical truths, and to defend human dignity and conscience. Today, we learn from the lessons of history and we take inspiration from them to create a better future by following a path of peaceful development. For those who love peace, our commemoration serves as a meeting place for coherent and civilized consensus. For those who ignore reality and distort history, our commemoration is a warning. To the Chinese people, this commemoration is a genuine expression of the national sprit and soul.

Forgetting history is a betrayal. The Japanese military committed flagrant crimes during World War II, which caused terrible tragedy to the peoples of Asia, especially to the Chinese, and which also caused terrible trauma to the Japanese themselves. The peoples of Asia, along with others who love peace, have severely criticized the atrocities of the Japanese militarists, and joined together in urging the Japanese government to recognize the truth of history and avoid any repetition of the historic tragedy. However, after more than seventy years, the fight between good and evil is not over. By denying the brutal invasion, visiting and honoring the places that hold the remains of criminals of World War II, forcing through the right to collective self-defense, and turning the Peace Constitution into a worthless token, right-wing forces in Japan have shown their militaristic and expansionist tendencies. Those acts not only defy historical truth and justice, they also deliberately set out to destroy the postwar international order.

When light prevails, darkness recedes. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the formulation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence of China, India and Myanmar. These Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence became the basic principles of international relations of international law. They have played a positive role in the establishment of a more just and reasonable political and economic international order.

However, a love of peace is not the same thing as ignoring crimes. The Chinese will not stir up trouble, but we are also not afraid of it. We will always strive to protect the gains and the fruits of the victory of the war against fascism, defend the postwar international order and maintain peace, security and stability among nations. We cannot allow the return of militaristic regimes or any repetition of the historic tragedy.

A country that casts aside the memory of its hisstory will be a country with few prospects of a better future. After 77 years, the scars and lessons of history still exist. The Chinese have a saying: "Warmongers will perish." It is the universal law of human society that justice triumphs over evil, and light conquers darkness. Anyone who disobeys that law will suffer. 

Edited and translated by Huang Jin, People's Daily Online

This article is edited and translated from 历史悲剧决不允许重演, Source: People's Daily