Chinese veteran Zhang Dazhong made some Japanese friends in the 1940s, when he was involved in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. These men were Japanese anti-war activists.

"They visited China at that time with the aim of stopping the war, and we cooperated well," said Zhang, 85, who was responsible for transporting the men from Japanese-occupied Peking (now Beijing) to areas controlled by anti-Japanese troops.

Zhang was one of 6,000 people attending the rally marking the 60th anniversary of the victory in China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. President Hu Jintao delivered a speech at the rally.

The Japanese anti-war activists told Zhang that the war had wreaked havoc on many families in Japan and they were also victims.

"With regard to this war, we must distinguish Japanese militarism from its people," said Zhang. "We commemorate the war in order to oppose invasion, instead of being anti-Japanese."

President Hu committed to a stable Sino-Japanese relationship, and urged Japan to handle historical relations appropriately.

"The war of aggression against China launched by Japanese militarism not only brought enormous calamity to the Chinese people, but also inflicted dire misery on the Japanese people," said Hu.

Canadian veteran Donald Willmott said that the war has taught him to treasure peace instead of commemorating fighting experience. Willmott, son of a missionary family born in Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, worked for US troops in China in 1944.

He was invited by the Chinese Government to come back for commemorative activities and was one of 6,000 people in the audience.

He was impressed by Hu's remarks on the approach to peaceful development.

"I take a strong stance on peace because war is terrible," said Willmott, noting China's development should promote peace across the world.

Anna Chen Chennault, wife of Claire Lee Chennault, the founder of the "Flying Tigers" (an American Volunteer Group), said that the prospect for China's development will be bright as Hu pushes for international cooperation. Chinese from home and abroad should unite and strive for the peaceful reinvigoration of the country, said Anna.

(China Daily September 5, 2005)