China is all set to hold a grand event on September 3 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’. China has invited not only Asian nations but also European countries to participate in the event. The celebration of the event has caused unease in Japan, with Tokyo reportedly reaching out to nations urging them to abstain from the event.
Nepal, Pakistan To Attend
Since India shares a good relations with Japan, it has decided to skip the event. On the other hand, Pakistan and Nepal have accepted the invitation and will be attending the event. The move is likely to be seen negatively in Tokyo, as Japan has actively asked countries to skip the event. Pakistan’s presence at the Chinese event comes days after claims by Islamabad’s propaganda machinery that Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif could go on a bilateral visit to Japan.
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China’s Victory Claim
While Japan sees a deliberate attempt by Beijing to malign Tokyo’s image by manipulating history, China has reportedly asked Tokyo to face the history. China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei said recently that China’s War of Resistance started the earliest and lasted the longest. “Eighty years ago, the Chinese people, after 14 years of tenacious struggle, shedding blood and sacrificing lives, won the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and declared the complete victory of the World Anti-Fascist War…China held the ground in the main eastern battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War with enormous national sacrifice. China’s War of Resistance is an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War and China made historic contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War,” said Lei.
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Japan Voices Concern
The Japanese government has urged several European and Asian nations not to take part in a military parade and related events that China is set to host next month to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, diplomatic sources said on Sunday. According to diplomatic sources, Japan has relayed through its embassies abroad that the events carry strong anti-Japanese messaging and has advised countries to carefully weigh the implications of sending their leaders to participate.
Tokyo is concerned that Beijing could use the commemoration to promote its own version of wartime history. The parade, scheduled for September 3 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, is meant to celebrate what China describes as its victory in the 1937–1945 “War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression” and the broader “World Anti-Fascist War.”
26 Countries To Attend: China
China said that 26 countries will be attending the event at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. Those are:
President of Russia Vladimir Putin, General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong Un, King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni, President of Viet Nam Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Thongloun Sisoulith, President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli, President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukshenko, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou, President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and Acting President of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing.