Safeguarding collective memory, while jointly shouldering the responsibilities of the times

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Looking back, the Second World War, waged by fascist and militarist forces, brought unprecedented catastrophe upon humanity.

China and Europe, as the main theaters of war in the East and West respectively, made immense sacrifices and contributions to the ultimate triumph over fascism, the defense of human dignity, and the reconstruction of world peace. Those years of unyielding defiance and common struggle against formidable enemies remain deeply etched in the shared memory of China and Europe.

We will never forget the indomitable spirit that China and Europe demonstrated in the World Anti-Fascist War. China was among the earliest countries to rise against fascism, and it bore the longest and heaviest burdens on the Eastern battlefield.

From 1931 to 1945, the Chinese nation, with unbreakable resolve and heroic resistance, fought to the end, paying the price of over 35 million military and civilian casualties to defeat Japanese militarism. In doing so, China greatly bolstered the resolve and fighting spirit of the global anti-fascist coalition. In Europe, Winston Churchill’s rallying cry of “we shall fight on, we shall never surrender” echoed across the British Isles, while Charles de Gaulle resolutely led the French Resistance with indomitable spirit, joining Allied forces in shattering the illusion of a “blitzkrieg” victory and the hegemonic ambitions of Nazi aggressors.

We will never forget the profound wartime friendship forged between China and Europe. On the battlefield, the Chinese military and people defeated over 1.5mn Japanese troops and pinned down over a million of Japan’s main forces. The Chinese Expeditionary Force fought side by side with Allied troops in Burma, effectively halting Japan’s northern and southern advances and preventing the Axis powers from ever achieving true strategic coordination—thus providing powerful support to the Allied campaigns in Europe and the Pacific.

Among civilians, the French doctor Jean-Augustin Bussière risked his life to deliver vital medicines by bicycle to Chinese resistance bases; German businessman John Rabe saved more than 200,000 Chinese civilians during the Nanjing Massacre; Chinese fishermen rescued 384 British POWs from the sunken Lisbon Maru; and Qian Xiuling, the “Chinese Schindler,” rescued 110 Belgian fighters from Nazi firing squads. These heroic deeds are vivid testaments to the deep bonds forged between the Chinese and European peoples in times of blood and fire, life and death.

We will never forget the great historical process of jointly shaping the post-war international order. Building on the victory of the war, China, together with European countries and other major members of the anti-fascist alliance, jointly founded the United Nations, with China being the first to sign the UN Charter. The international system with the UN at its core is the embodiment of the victory of World War II and the cornerstone of the post-war order.

Guardians of our shared memory

Thanks to the joint efforts of China and Europe, the UN has withstood the tests of 80 years of global vicissitudes, playing an irreplaceable role in safeguarding peace and stability and advancing the progress of humankind.

To remember history is to open the way to the future. Today’s world remains far from tranquil. As two major forces, two big markets, and two great civilisations, China and Europe should work together to provide greater stability and certainty to a world fraught with turbulence, and to contribute more wisdom and strength to the advancement of human civilisation.

We need to be guardians of our shared memory. It is important to uphold a correct view of the Second World War, jointly resist historical nihilism and revisionism, and resolutely oppose any attempts to distort history by tampering with records or whitewashing aggression. This will enable future generations to properly understand and always remember history, and lay a solid foundation for lasting peace and development.

We need to be defenders of multilateralism. Confronted with major choices between war and peace, competition and cooperation, and closure and openness, multilateralism, solidarity and cooperation are the right answers. Together, we should safeguard the international order underpinned by international law and the international system with the UN at its core, reform and improve global governance, join hands to tackle global challenges such as climate change, and hold high the torch of multilateralism to illuminate humanity’s path ahead.

We need to be doers of openness and cooperation. Both China and Europe are promoters and beneficiaries of economic globalisation and an open world economy. We should oppose unilateralism and protectionism in all forms, jointly uphold the multilateral trading system centered on WTO rules, and work for universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation. It is important to expand the convergence of interests, and see to it that the fruits of development are more equitably distributed among peoples around the world.

We need to be promoters of mutual learning among civilisations. No civilisation in the world is superior to others; every civilisation is special and unique to its own region. Together, we should work together to ensure exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcends clashes, inclusiveness transcends a sense of superiority.

In doing so, we will contribute wisdom and strength to deeper mutual understanding and affinity among peoples of all countries, harmonious coexistence among different civilisations, and the building of a world of beauty shared by all.