Chinese FM lauds historical contributions of Chinese, Russians in WWII

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that the Chinese and Russian peoples made significant contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

In an interview with Russian media group Russia Today in Moscow, Wang noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victories of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War and the World Anti-Fascist War.

In the last-ditch battle between justice and evil, China and Russia were respectively the main theaters of Asia and Europe, and the Chinese and Russian peoples were two major forces in resisting fascism and militarism, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The two peoples, unafraid of ferocious adversaries, shed blood and fought bravely, making tremendous national sacrifices in stopping and eliminating the invaders and defending their sovereignty and national dignity. They made significant historical contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, Wang noted.

He said the profound friendship forged between the two peoples during World War II provided powerful momentum for the comprehensive development of bilateral relations.

On the basis of the great victory of World War II, China and Russia, along with other key members of the anti-fascist alliance, jointly initiated the founding of the United Nations, co-drafted the UN Charter, and contributed to a series of important international documents that laid the foundation for the modern international order and established the basic norms of contemporary international relations, he added.

Wang called on the two countries to firmly stand on the side of international justice in the face of major changes unseen in a century, defend, together with all peace-loving peoples around the world, the history written with blood and lives, and oppose any attempt or action to deny, distort or revise the history of World War II.

He urged the two countries to safeguard the post-war international order, take the 80th anniversary of the United Nations as an opportunity to uphold the authority and status of the world body, practice genuine multilateralism and promote adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter by all countries.

Wang also emphasized the need to champion an equitable and orderly multi-polarization, enhance close cooperation on multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, amplify the powerful voice of unity and self-strengthening of the Global South and march toward the goal of a community with a shared future for mankind.