During WWII, people of the world united under one banner and fought a war of life and death against Fascist invaders. In this anti-Fascist war that redefined humankind’s future, the Chinese people, in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, made enormous contributions and unimaginable sacrifices to the victory of justice.

China as a Main Battlefield in the Anti-Fascist War

WWII developed into a global war through a series of local conflicts. Japan’s invasion of China in 1931 marked the beginning of local warfare. Countries capable of curbing hostilities chose not to interfere as long as their homeland was safe, leaving China overpowered by Japan.

China endured untold hardships. Due to its military disadvantages, China fought a protracted war and had to rely on its broad territory by “trading space for time.” The Chinese nation made tremendous sacrifices to disrupt Japan’s strategic plans, but successfully crushed its ambitions.

From the fall of Northeast China in 1931 to the start of the country’s all-out war against Japanese aggression in 1937, the Chinese nation fought a war of blood and tears against the militarily more advanced Japanese aggressors. Its main ground forces trapped in China, Japan had no choice but to give up its original plan of “northern advancement,” which gave the Soviet Union valuable time to concentrate on the European battlefield and guard against Nazi Germany. When the Russo-German War broke out on the Eastern Front in June 1941, the Soviet Union was able to avoid fighting on two fronts because of China’s military engagement with Japan. China’s containment of Japan also slowed down the latter’s “southern advancement” plan, which bought time for Britain and the United States to deter Japan’s occupation of Australia and the Indian Ocean. At this stage of local warfare, China became the de facto main battlefield of the world anti-Fascist war, already making great contributions to the conflict.

After the Pacific War broke out, the situation on the Chinese battlefield underwent great changes as the world anti-fascist alliance was formed. A key member of the alliance, China not only fought the main forces of the Japanese army head-on, but also supported the Allied forces in India and Myanmar in frustrating Japan’s ambitions in Southeast Asia. It was crucial in turning the tide and ensuring the safety of U.S. flanks when the U.S. devoted itself to the European theater during the counterattacks in Asia. China pinned down the Japanese army, providing indispensable strategic support to the Soviet forces who were fighting the Germans. The Allies, in turn, created a beneficial environment for China’s war of resistance, and their aid substantially replenished Chinese battle supplies, helping the country consolidate its vast rear area and military bases there.

Building Peace

With the Allies gaining momentum on the German-Russian war front, the Pacific and North Africa, China also began strategic counterattacks on its home turf and won final victory over the Japanese. Though not yet a world power at the time, China gained the world’s recognition with its role in and contributions to the war, and became a core member of the anti-fascist alliance. As one of the founding nations of the UN and a permanent member of its Security Council, China emerged as a major power in the postwar arrangements.

It must be pointed out that China played a unique and important role in forming the global anti-Fascist alliance and drafting the UN Charter. At the beginning of WWII, China was among the first to propose an anti-Fascist alliance. During his interview with American journalist Agnes Smedley in March 1937, Mao Zedong pointed out that China, Britain, the U.S., France, and the Soviet Union “shall form a united front in the Pacific... otherwise there would be the danger of being destroyed by the enemies one by one.”

On April 1, 1938, the interim National Congress of the Kuomintang adopted the Program for Fighting Japanese Aggression and Nation-Building, advocating to unite countries and peoples sympathetic with China to work together for world peace and justice. It also proposed the establishment of an international united front, bringing together all powers who were against Japanese aggression, putting an end to Japan’s crimes and obtaining and ensuring lasting peace in East Asia.

On December 8, 1941, the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the Chinese government decided to officially declare war on Japan and suggested that threatened countries in the Pacific waste no time in establishing an official alliance. It also demanded that member states not individually make peace with Japan until final victory was obtained.

China’s proactive actions spurred the formation of the anti-Fascist alliance. On New Year’s Day of 1942, representatives from 26 countries, including the U.S., Britain, the Soviet Union and China, signed the Declaration by United Nations in Washington, D.C., marking the establishment of the global anti-Fascist alliance. China contributed to building a new postwar international order through its proposals and suggestions. It was also engaged in the discussion, drafting and signing of globally significant documents, such as the Declaration of the Four Nations on General Security, the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, together with the U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union at a series of international meetings. China also contributed its wisdom in designing the UN Charter.

The Basic Points of the Charters of International Organizations, proposed by the Chinese government, offered China’s opinion on the general principles, organization, operation, trusteeship and funding of the United Nations. Representing weaker countries and peoples, China made constructive suggestions and expressed hope in the UN’s mechanism and the postwar world order. Proposals in the UN Charter included China’s suggestions, which were submitted to the UN preparatory conference. This was China’s unique contribution to maintaining world peace and protecting the rights and interests of weaker countries and peoples in the postwar period.

China’s Contributions Recognized

After WWII, the Cold War divided the world community – which was united during the war – into two factions headed by the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Affected by the Cold War mentality and the theory of the “Western nucleus,” writings on WWII history in the West often ignored or diminished China’s contributions to the resistance against Japan, mostly regarding them as part of the broader Pacific War. Even publications in the Soviet Union did not give full credit to China’s battles or its role in forming the anti-Fascist alliance. It is apparent that such biased attitude contradicts history and provides a boost to the political forces trying to cover up Japan’s crimes of invasion.

Now, international academia is paying greater attention to China’s wartime contributions as a result of China’s development and rise in international status, as well as the emergence of more historical evidence on the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. An increasing number of scholars and historians recognize that China’s battle with Japan was the beginning and an essential component of the global anti-Fascist war. Professor Rana Mitter of Oxford University, in his book Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II, 1937-1945, says that the entire history of WWII would have been different without China’s eight-year tenacious resistance against Japanese invasion. Prof. Priyadarsi Mukherji of Jawaharlal Nehru University in India also presented evidence of the atrocities committed by Japanese invaders and shared with the world China’s extraordinary fight against Japanese aggression. During the activities commemorating the victory of the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War this year, Russian scholars spoke highly of China’s role in helping the Soviet Union avoid fighting on two fronts and instead concentrate its forces on fighting Nazi Germany.

The purpose of restoring the truths of history is to safeguard the hard-won victory of the anti-Fascist war, uphold justice and learn important lessons to face the challenges of today. On the 70th anniversary of the victory of the global anti-Fascist war and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, reviewing the success of the anti-Fascist alliance in protecting humankind’s interests and China’s contributions to the war bears special significance. This historical reminder is a valuable legacy to China and the world.

Yu Weimin is professor at the History Department of East China Normal University.