"China had fought a prolonged war of resistance against Japan's aggression during World War II. It was by no means merely a war for survival or national liberation but it had been a war fought as a major component part of the then world fight against fascism. Accordingly, a fair and just appraisal of the part China had played should be made in world human history in the 20th century!"
This is the view of Jin Chong, honorable president of the Society of China Anti-Japanese War History, deputy director of China History Literature Research Center and chairman of All-China Society for Historic Studies. More than 80 historians long known for having a study into the war history and the tenacious fight of the Chinese nation in bringing down Japanese imperialism in China have voiced similar opinions at the "July 7th Incident Academic Study Forum" called today in Beijing.
Jin Chong said that World War II was a war that had closely linked to the future and destiny of humankind and the world. Long bloody battles had been fought and great sacrifices made by anti-fascist forces for the protection of human civilizations on a world scale and these had brought the downfall of fascism and the final victory of the peoples and countries throughout the world.
By its eight year's prolonged war of resistance against Japan China had contained and wiped out a formidable part of Japanese aggressors' forces and along with a weakening of their economic strength had greatly contributed to the war fighting against fascism in Europe and the Pacific region.
But, over a long time in the past, as represented by many world-renowned works on World War II, little space had been given to China's war of resistance against Japan still less to say a fair just appraisal of the historical role China had played in world fight against fascism. Doubtless, things represented in the past not tally with facts of history, not to say unjust or fair.
To date, what makes one happy however is that for a rising international status China has come to enjoy people across the world begin to concern and show an interest in China. The US Harvard East Asia Study Center had specially called an international academic forum centering on the theme of "China in Times of War". An impact of this is that scholars from many countries throughout the world begin to cast eyes on China and made a study into the outstanding contributions China had made in the war fighting against fascism as a major trend in carrying out a study into world history.
Jin Chong had with the help of a large mass of data and figures substantially pointed to past contributions China had made to world victory of the war fighting against fascism during World War II.
He said that his digging into past history is by no means an exaggeration of things relating to war contributions China had made. Representative must be Winston Churchill's past views and appraisal then as British prime minister and those of Roosevelt then as president of the US though the two were known for their seriously anti-China bias in history. As top leaders proceeding from a strategic point of view they both had their appropriate views and appraisal made of the status and role China had played in her long fight against Japan's aggression and the war fighting against fascism throughout the world. But this does not mean a general or universal understanding or appreciation of China's role and contributions in the past in fighting Japanese imperialism and world fascism.
Back in history, August 15 tells the JV day of the Chinese nation marking the ignominious defeat of Japanese imperialism and the 57th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender to the Chinese and other peoples throughout the world.
(Edited from People's Daily, August 16, 2002)
