The world's attention has been focused on Beijing as China held a massive military parade in central Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, pledging the country's commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence and uncertainties.
Some foreign leaders who participated in the commemorations at Tian'anmen Square on Wednesday shared their feelings, while multiple international media outlets have shown interest not only in advanced weapons displayed during the parade, but also noted the message of peace and development China delivered.
The events marking the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War "were held brilliantly, simply very well, at a high level," Russian President Vladimir Putin said during talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Beijing on Wednesday, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar lbrahim said the commemorative V-Day parade held by the Chinese government to mark 80 years since the end of World War II "served as a timely reminder that a nation's sovereignty must always be defended and safeguarded," reported Bernama.com.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed his gratitude to the Chinese President and the Chinese people for their "sincere friendship" toward Serbia, in a post on his Facebook page in Serbian language on Wednesday following the conclusion of China's grand V-Day parade, adding that "China has always stood by Serbia, especially in difficult times. Serbia and the Serbian people will never forget this!"
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's press-service wrote on the X on Wednesday that attending the military parade "reaffirmed Uzbekistan's foreign policy commitment to fostering friendship and constructive dialogue for peace, sustainable development and prosperity."
Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli hailed the event as "a truly historic gathering of global friendship and remembrance," as he posted on X following the conclusion of the military parade.
Miguel Diaz-Canel, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban president, who attended the event, wrote on his X account on Wednesday in Chinese that "admiring China's glorious history and its progress today, [I] sincerely thank the Communist Party of China, the government, and the people for their steadfast unity and vital support in countering the blockade."
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who participated in the commemorations, told the Global Times on Wednesday that "We know that this day is very important for the Chinese people. With my presence on behalf of the Hungarian government, we wanted to show respect to the Chinese people, and we wanted to show how important it is for us to have a foundation of this relationship based on mutual respect."
Yesenia Peredo Mendoza, a reporter from Bolivia, told the Global Times at the viewing stand on Tian'anmen Square that the parade is not only important for China, but also "important for the world to remember how we can think more in the future. I have high expectations about China, the culture, the people, the history, too… I will show the parade to my country; show that to the world."
China today is not like China before; it is strong and well developed, Ayoub Bechouri from China Arab TV, who also participated in the parade, told the Global Times. "So that's why I'm so excited to attend this event. And also I'm curious to see the new technology, and the new development of the army equipment."
The military parade has also garnered significant attention from multiple Western media outlets.
News outlets including the AP, Bloomberg and BBC have paid attention to the development of weapons and equipment of Chinese military.
"Some of the weapons and military units in China's major parade were being displayed for the first time," The AP noted.
"Autonomous weapons were showcased as well — including a doglike robot riding on the back of a vehicle — demonstrating China's progress in developing uncrewed systems in the air, on the ground and even underwater," Bloomberg reported.
BBC said that from massive, underwater torpedoes to state-of-the-art laser weapons that shoot down drones, China's latest military parade will now be analyzed by Pentagon experts and defence officials around the world.
In an opinion piece published by CNN, it said that "The huge volume of military hardware exhibited shows that China has the industrial might to back up its words…It's the kind of industrial capacity the US put together to win World War II, the end of which Wednesday's parade was said to commemorate. But while US industry spelled the end of the Axis powers 80 years ago, America now doesn't have the capacity to turn out weaponry in the numbers that China can."
The New York Times said the massive parade "signals that China won't be bullied again" and issues a defiant warning to rivals not to challenge the country's sovereignty.
The leaders of many Southeast Asian and Central Asian nations attended the parade, showing China's success in strengthening regional partnerships, said the NYT report.
Ishida Ryuji, a Japanese national and associate researcher at the School of Humanities at Shanghai Jiaotong University, attended the commemorative gathering on site. Ishida said he kept asking himself: "With what frame of mind should I take part in this event? In the process, I deeply felt the joy and pride of the Chinese people in achieving victory in war and in regaining national independence and self-identity. As a Japanese national, this has once again strengthened my resolve to follow the path of peace."
What the Chinese people expect is for Japan to confront history with sincerity and reflect on the war, rather than constantly evading or obscuring the focus and sinking deeper into the quagmire of glorifying history. Only peace built on the foundation of truth and justice can bring genuinely stable and friendly development to China-Japan relations, Ishida noted.
CEO of Kazakh-Asian Association for Trade and Cultural Development and president of the Kazakhstan-China Trade Promotion Association, Kanat Beisek, who watched the parade on site in Beijing, told the Global Times that for Asia, many countries suffered fascist aggression during World War II, and the commemoration reinforces their shared historical memory, laying a foundation for regional reconciliation and cooperation.
In today's complex and volatile international environment, the commemorations highlight China's responsibility as a major country, setting an example for the international community to draw lessons from history and look toward the future, said Beisek.
Source: Global Times:
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
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