摘要：A grand gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Ag

A grand gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War held in Beijing, China, September 3, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

By Xin Ge

History is not merely a chronicle of bygone events; it is a reservoir of lessons, a mirror of conscience and a compass for the future. On Wednesday, China solemnly commemorates the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech prior to the military parade.

This is not only a day of remembrance for one nation, but a moment of shared reflection for humanity. As Xi remarked, "The Chinese people will stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and join hands with the rest of the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity."

Eighty years have passed, yet the resonance of that victory remains undiminished. The victory of 1945 bequeathed to humanity three enduring truths: Justice will prevail, peace will prevail and the people will prevail. The world of today stands in turbulence, as it did then. The imperative is clear: Only by heeding the warnings of history can we claim the courage to forge the future.

China's War of Resistance was not simply a military campaign; it was a civilizational struggle for national existence. Beginning with the September 18 Incident in 1931 and culminating in the all-out war after the Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937, the Chinese people opened the main Eastern battlefield of the global anti-fascist struggle.

Against overwhelming odds, the nation rallied beneath the banner of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, led by the CPC. On both the frontal battlefields and in the warfare behind enemy lines, patriots demonstrated inexhaustible tenacity. It was not strategy alone but also moral conviction that sustained the resistance. After 14 years of unrelenting sacrifice, China achieved its first comprehensive victory over a foreign aggressor in modern history – a reversal of fortune that restored dignity to a nation long assailed by humiliation.

The price of this triumph was staggering. More than 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians perished or were wounded, and countless communities were left in ruins. Yet this colossal sacrifice was not in vain. It reshaped the course of world history.

Former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt once observed that had China collapsed, Japan could have redeployed formidable divisions elsewhere, with catastrophic consequences for the Allied cause. In truth, China's "magnificent defense," as Roosevelt termed it, was indispensable to the global triumph of world war against fascism.

From the crucible of resistance emerged an enduring ethos – the great spirit of the War of Resistance. It was a spirit of national solidarity: The rise and fall of the nation rests on the shoulders of all; it was a spirit of integrity: better to die as jade than to live as tile; and it was a spirit of indomitability: to fight on, even in the face of annihilation.

A grand gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War starts at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, September 3, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Today, in an era of uncertainty, that same spirit provides both an anchor and a compass: A reminder that resilience and unity remain the keys to national rejuvenation and global peace.

Eighty years later, the international order is again under stress: Economic inequality deepens, ecological crises intensify and unilateralism and hegemonism sow instability. Humanity stands at another crossroads, much as it did in the mid-20th century.

China, faithful to the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, continues to transform the spirit of resistance into a force for peace and development. Its achievements testify to this role. From a GDP of 367.9 billion yuan in 1978 to 134.9 trillion yuan ($18.89 trillion) in 2024 – an increase of over 300-fold – China's development has been unparalleled in speed and scale.

According to the International Monetary Fund, every one percent increase in China's growth now lifts global output by an average of 0.3 percent. For years, China has accounted for roughly 30 percent of global economic growth, serving as both an engine of momentum and anchor of stability.

Commemoration is not about nostalgia; it is about renewal. To honor the martyrs of the past is to shoulder the responsibilities of the present. The lesson of wars is unambiguous: Aggression and hegemony are ultimately self-defeating, while the cause of justice, peace and the people endures.

From national survival to global responsibility, the journey of the Chinese people speaks not only to their own destiny but to humanity's shared future. As we mark the 80th anniversary of that epochal victory, the task before us is clear: to let the torch of history continue to illuminate our path forward and to translate past triumphs into even greater victories for peace, cooperation and shared prosperity – now and in the years to come.

Xin Ge, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy and Governance, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), and a chair associate professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy, SUFE.

来源：中国网一点号