September 12th, 2025

Distinguished guests,
Dear compatriots,
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends:

Good afternoon!

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan to China. On September 3rd, there was a grand gathering in Beijing 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. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech, oversaw the parade and reviewed the troops, shared the special moment with representatives from all walks of life at home and abroad, as well as all the Chinese people. Today, we are gathering here also to remember history, honor the fallen, cherish peace and open up the future.

——To remember history, we need to jointly defend the correct view of World War II history.

History, if not forgotten, can serve as a guide for the future. The year 2025, it has been 80 years since the surrender of fascist Japan, 88 years since the "July 7th Incident", when Japanese imperialist troops launched a full-scale invasion of China at Lugou Bridge of Beijing (called Beiping then) on July 7th, 1937, and 94 years since the "September 18th Incident", when the Japanese Kwantung Army launched a fierce attack on Fengtian (now Shenyang) on September 18th, 1931 and occupied northeast China as a result. The brutal Japanese militarists committed heinous crimes that wiped out humanity and caused enormous casualties to the Chinese military and civilians, bringing unprecedented calamity to the Chinese nation. In Nanjing Massacre alone, which was launched by the Japanese invading army in December 1937, up to 300,000 Chinese compatriots were slaughtered. This year, the Chinese film Dead to Rights exposing the atrocities committed by the Japanese army then has been released globally, resonating strongly with the people all around the world. 

Justice prevails, peace prevails and the people prevail, that's the unstoppable trend.  Historical truth can never be denied, distorted or glorified. The people all around the world who advocate for peace and justice should jointly defend the correct view of World War II history, maintain the post-war international order and the fruits of the victory in the Anti-Fascist War, including Taiwan's restoration to China, keep vigilant and resist historical nihilism and revisionism, eliminate vice and exalt virtue, take the heritage of history while open up the future, nail fascism to the pillar of shame in history forever, leaving a fair, just and correct history textbook for the succeeding generations.

——To honour the fallen, we need to recognize the mainstay role the Communist Party of China played in the victory.

The CPC is the strong leading core of the Chinese people to strive for national independence and liberation, and the backbone of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. On September 20, 1931, two days after the “September 18th Incident”, the CPC Central Committee immediately made a declaration calling on the laboring masses to mobilize and oppose the Japanese imperialism's occupation of the three provinces in northeast China. The Provisional Central Government of the Soviet Republic of China made the Declaration of War Against Japan in April 1932, formally declaring war on Japan. The "September 18th Incident" became the starting point of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and opened the prelude to the World Anti-Fascist War.

Under the banner of a national united front against Japanese aggression advocated by the CPC, all the Chinese people faced the national crisis as a whole, and the awakening of the Chinese nation reached an unprecedented height. The CPC insisted on mobilizing and relying on the people, put forward and implemented the general strategic guiding principle of conducting a protracted war, and with a set of strategic and tactical tactics, which plunged the Japanese invaders into the ocean of the people's war. The CPC, with its outstanding political leadership and correct strategies and tactics, guided and played a mainstay role in the national War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and was a national pioneer in winning the War. During the 14-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese people fought bravely and tenaciously, with casualties exceeding 35 million and enormous national sacrifices, back-boned the main eastern theatre of the World Anti-Fascist War, achieved the first complete victory in resisting foreign invasions in modern times, and made a major contribution to the salvation of human civilization and the defense of world peace.

——To cherish peace, we need to uphold the common aspiration for peace and development of the international community.

In the battle field of resistance against fascism, Chinese people’s fight for human justice won the moral support and valuable assistance from people all over the world. John Rabe, a German employee of Siemens posted in China, together with other international friends, established an “International Safety Zone” during the Nanjing Massacre, saving the lives of 250,000 Chinese people. German doctor Hans Müller joined the Chinese people in their War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1939 and went to the front line voluntarily at the risk of life to save lives and heal the wounded. German writer and Communist Party member Hans Heber arrived in the Yimeng Mountains of Shandong Province in 1941 to expose the evil deeds of Japanese fascists to the world with his pen. At the end of 1941, he sacrificed his life heroically in the battle against the “mopping-up” operation by Japanese troops. These historical facts, shining with internationalism and humanitarianism, are worth remembering by us all. 

Peace and development are common international aspirations and a noble cause shared by people of all countries. The inscription on the old city gate of Flensburg,  reads in German“Friede ernährt, Unfrieden verzehrt (“ Peace nourishes, strife devours” in English), showing the wisdom and reflections of ancient German sages. China is the only major power in the world that has explicitly included provision of peaceful development into its constitution and party’s constitution. President Xi Jinping points out that the mankind has a shared future, and only when nations across the world treat each other as equals, live in harmony and extend mutual support to one another, can the root cause of war eliminated and the recurrence of historical tragedies prevented. China will, as always, join hands with other members of the international community to defend the flame of peace for the succeeding generations.

——To open up the future, we should work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

80 years ago, the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War laid the foundation of the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, opening a new chapter of peace and development for the world. Today, 80 years past, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, with Cold War mentality, unilateralism and bullying overrunning. Global governance is facing multiple challenges, and humanity is again faced with a choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, and win-win outcomes or zero-sum games. With the scourge of World War II not far off, the world should firmly say no to "one’s own country first" and "law of the jungle". At the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus" Meeting held in Tianjin, China on September 1st, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), calling on to adhere to sovereign equality, abide by international rule of law, practice multilateralism, advocate the people-centered approach and focus on taking real actions. This is another major public goods China provides to the international community, following the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative. It focuses on solving the contemporary issue of "what kind of global governance system to build and how to reform and improve global governance", which is in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. It has crucial practical and far-reaching historical significance for the international community to jointly address the global governance deficit. Once proposed, the GGI has been broadly welcomed by the international community. China is willing to work with other countries in the world to solidly promote the reform of the global governance system, injecting more positive energy for lasting peace and sustainable development in the world.

Dear friends,

The smoke of gunpowder of World War II has long dissipated, but the flames of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression will forever shine on history, and the alarm bell of history will always ring. We should advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the trend of the times. The Chinese people are willing to join hands with the people of the State of Bavaria, of Germany and the rest of world, and will stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, adhere to the path of peaceful development, uphold fairness and justice, maintain world peace, promote common development, to build a community with a shared future for mankind and create a better future for mankind!

Thank you all.