Xi's presence in Moscow's V-Day celebrations highlights shared resolve to safeguard world peace

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (R) are welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. Xi, hosted by Putin, was among more than 20 leaders of countries, regions and international organizations to attend the commemorative event marking the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War on Saturday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

MOSCOW, May 10 -- Along with leaders from many other countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday joined his Russian host, Vladimir Putin, at the grandest Victory Day parade at Moscow's Red Square since 1991.

Xi's presence and the unprecedented participation of Chinese soldiers in the parade delivered a clear message: China and Russia are seeing eye to eye on upholding the post-war international order and safeguarding world peace.

REMEMBER HISTORY

During an earlier meeting with Putin, Xi expressed his pleasure in attending the commemorative events in Moscow upon the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War.

Recalling the great sacrifices and contributions made by China and Russia, two main battlefields during World War Two (WWII), Xi noted that by fighting shoulder to shoulder, the two peoples forged a profound friendship.

The commemorations in Russia and later in China, Xi added, are aimed at remembering history and paying tribute to martyrs while, alongside people of all nations, safeguarding the hard-earned peace and ushering in a bright future for peace and development of all mankind.

"We stand ready to deepen the traditional friendship with the Russian people, promote coordination of our strategies of development, chart the future course for our friendly cooperation, and keep the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination running at a high level," Xi said.

In so doing, he added, the two neighbors will also help build a fairer and more reasonable world order and safeguard regional and global peace, security and stability.

For his part, Putin hailed the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries, noting that it has yielded fruitful results in various fields and at different levels.

Agreeing with Xi's remarks on the historic contributions China and Russia made in WWII, Putin said both countries will oppose any attempt to deny and distort history, and fight against any move to beautify Fascists and militarists and sling mud to liberators.

China and Russia joining hands in celebrating the 70th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War is of great significance, as rightist forces and neo-Nazi groups have reared their ugly heads in different parts of the world, said Sergey Luzyanin, deputy director of the Far East Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In a signed article published in the Russian Gazette recently, Xi recalled the sacrifices and contributions China and Russia made in WWII, reaffirmed the two countries' joint determination to uphold the outcome of the war, and called for win-win cooperation in dealing with international affairs.

"Xi said the peoples of China and Russia will stand together with all peace-loving nations and peoples firmly against any attempt to deny, distort or tamper with WWII history," said Pavel Negoitsa, director-general of the Russian Gazette.

"This is important because it is what the Russians are now concerned about, and our closest neighbor pointed it out clearly," Negoitsa said.

In his article, Xi quoted Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky as saying that "If we lost the memory of our past, our mind and soul would be lost in the darkness," in a bid to show the determination of peoples of China and Russia to fight against attempts to rewrite the wartime history.

Natalia Kovalenko, a public servant in Moscow, said she was quite familiar with the quotation. "Klyuchevsky warned us as early as in the 19th century about what would happen if we disdain history. In the 21st century, to remember the wartime history and the cost of the final victory will be a guarantee of peace," she added.

FACILITATE PEACE

Both being members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia have maintained close communication and coordination over major international issues, played active roles in addressing global challenges, and demonstrated their sense of responsibility as heavyweights in global politics.

A joint statement signed by Xi and Putin on Friday called for proper settlements of major international issues including the crises of Syria and Ukraine and the situations in Afghanistan and the Korean Peninsula.

They called on all parties in the Syria conflict to stop armed confrontation as soon as possible and start internal dialogues and negotiations in line with the 2012 Geneva Communique for a long-term political settlement that conforms to the will of the Syrian people.

Meanwhile, the two countries reaffirmed their determination to help Afghanistan break away from terrorism and drugs and become a peaceful, stable, democratic, neutral and prosperous nation.

The two nations also referred to the protracted Ukraine crisis, urging relevant parties to formulate a comprehensive, balanced and sustainable political solution that takes into full consideration the reasonable interests of all parties concerned.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, Beijing and Moscow spoke highly of their coordination on pursuing a resolution through political and diplomatic means.

They called on all parties in the negotiations to seize the historic opportunity and intensify diplomatic efforts, so as to reach a fair, balanced, win-win and mutually beneficial agreement before the June 30 deadline.

As to the Korean Peninsula situation, they reiterated that it is in the interests of all parties concerned and of great significance to regional peace, stability and prosperity to keep the peninsula peaceful, stable and denuclearized and solve relevant issues via dialogue and consultation.

They also agreed that the Six-Party Talks mechanism is an effective way to address the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, and relevant parties should foster favorable conditions for its resumption.