On 3rd September, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Brunei’s newspaper Borneo Bulletin, United Daily, Sin Chew Daily and See Hua Daily published the article entitled Honour history, Safeguard Peace and Jointly Build a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity by H.E. Xiao Jianguo, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam. The full text is as follows:

Eighty years ago, the Chinese people won the great victory after having fought the tenacious war for 14 years, marking the complete victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and opened a new chapter for humanity in building a post-war international order and pursuing enduring peace.

Today, the Chinese government will hold a grand commemorative gathering in Beijing to bear history in mind, honour all those who laid down their lives, yearn for peace, and open up a better future.

We thank the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan for leading a delegation to China to attend the commemorative events.

World War II (WWII) was the largest and most devastating war in human history, inflicting profound sufferings on human civilization. Faced with this catastrophe, the Allied Forces and progressive forces worldwide formed a broad international anti-fascist and anti-militarist united front, raised the banner of justice across the globe, ultimately bringing an end to the era of powers carving up the world through colonial conquests and paving the way for global peace and development.

Chinese people’s resistance started the earliest and lasted the longest. With 14 years of bloody struggle and over 35 million military and civilian casualties, the Chinese people fought gallantly in the main Eastern battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War.

Their tenacious resistance provided crucial support to Allied operations and actively aided the Anti-Fascist struggles of other Asian nations and areas, making indelible contributions to victory. In the final phase of the war, China played an active role in the founding of the United Nations (UN) and the establishment of the post-war international order. As a founding member, China was the first to sign the UN Charter and became a permanent member of the Security Council.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that only by drawing lessons from history can the world avoid repeating past calamity. Bearing history in mind is not to perpetuate hatred. Rather, it is for mankind not to forget its lesson, so as to create a better future and pass the torch of peace from generation to generation.

Over the past 80 years, China has steadfastly followed the righteous path of peaceful development. Soon after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, we put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Over the past 70-plus years, China never provoked a war or occupied an inch of foreign land. China is the only major country that has put peaceful development into the Constitution of the country and the Constitution of the governing party, thus making peaceful development a commitment of the nation.

China’s peaceful development has created a miracle in human history. We proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, committing to working with all countries, especially those in the Global South, to pursue high-quality development and achieve win-win cooperation. We actively explore solutions with Chinese characteristics to global hot-spot issues, playing constructive roles in several conflicts, crisis and issues.

Today, as changes unseen in a century unfold in the world, international rules and order are being eroded, bringing unprecedented uncertainty to the globe. Grounded in the reality that all nations share intertwined destinies and common stakes, President Xi Jinping proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, offering a Chinese solution to the question of “what kind of world to build and how to build it”. China calls on all to bear in mind the future of humanity and the well-being of the people, and uphold their essential commitment to equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence.

China champions the common values of humanity, promotes global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and advocates a new type of international relations.

We encourage all to work together to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, as well as to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. By joining hands to tackle challenges and achieve shared prosperity, we can continue advancing firmly toward greater fairness, justice, and progress for human society.

Taiwan’s restoration to China is a victorious outcome of WWII and an integral part of the postwar international order. Although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are yet to realize complete reunification, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China have never been divided, nor can they be. Eighty years ago, China was able to defeat the aggressors and bring Taiwan back to its territory. Eight decades later, a stronger and more prosperous Chinese nation will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China.

China and Brunei are close neighbours across the sea, bonded by a time-honoured friendship. Looking back to the war-torn years of WWII, our peoples both suffered from the brutal aggression, this shared historical memory has brought our hearts even closer.

In February this year, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam paid a successful state visit to China, where the two heads-of-state jointly inaugurated a new chapter in building a China-Brunei community with a shared future.

They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening solidarity and coordination, jointly addressing various global challenges, promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world, and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

Looking ahead, China stands ready to work with Brunei and all peace-loving nations to cherish the hard-won victories of WWII, uphold a correct view of history, promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, safeguard international fairness and justice, jointly practice true multilateralism, and build a community with a shared future for humanity to create an even brighter tomorrow for human society.