(File photo)

MANILA, Sept. 6 -- A Philippine scholar has lauded the important role played by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in leading the Chinese people against imperialist aggression by Japan during World War II (WWII).

"During World War II, China was one of the sources of military aggression, because the super powers at the time wanted to extract the resources from the country with vast land," Benito Lim, a political science professor of Ateneo de Manila University, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"The Communist Party of China led the Chinese people against imperialist aggression, and they were very successful," he said.

Lim, who served as a political economy consultant to the Philippine Embassy in China in the 1970s, added that the CPC's performance in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression also encouraged Chinese people living in the Philippines to fight Japanese aggressor troops in the Southeast Asian nation.

"The Chinese people living in the Philippines were inspired by the CPC... Some of them joined the Philippine guerrilla and some went back to join the Chinese army. I had the opportunity to interview some of the veterans from 'Huazhi' a couple of years ago and they said Japan was the Chinese's and the Filipino's common enemy at the time," Lim said.

"Huazhi" was a guerrilla established in May 1942 with only 52 members, two handguns and seven rifles. In three years and four months of its fight against Japanese aggressor troops, "Huazhi" fought 260 battles in 14 provinces of the Philippines, killed, injured and captured more than 2,000 enemy soldiers. The number of its members increased to more than 700, and 70 of them were killed in battles.

Li Kangxi, 92, was one of the 52 people who joined the team at the beginning.

"We fought hand in hand with the Filipinos, and I have deep feelings for the Philippines," said Li, "I feel responsible to tell everyone the crimes Japanese aggressor troops made. We should never let history repeat itself in this case."