The Chinese people will never forget the valuable support given by peace-loving and justice-loving countries and peoples and international organizations in the world to the Chinese people's War of Resistance Against Japan. The Soviet Union gave China strong material support for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the American "Flying Tigers" ventured to open up the Hump Route, and a large number of anti-fascist fighters from Korea, Vietnam, Canada, India, New Zealand, Poland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Japan and other countries directly participated in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in China. Canadian doctor Bethune and Indian doctor Dr. Kotnis traveled thousands of miles to China to save lives and help the wounded; French doctor Michelle Bécier opened a bicycle "hump route" to transport medicines; Germany's Rabe and Denmark's Schindberg did everything possible to protect Chinese refugees during the Nanjing Massacre; and British journalists such as Michael Lin and internationalist fighter Hans Heber actively reported and publicized China's feat of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In the later stages of the war, the Soviet Red Army went to the Northeast China Theater to fight against Japan together with the Chinese military and civilians, speeding up the process of completely defeating the Japanese invaders. These deeds are still widely praised among the Chinese people.

——Speech at the Reception Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War (September 3, 2015)

Further reading:

In that war more than 70 years ago, the forces of justice joined hands in the same trenches. To this day, the moving story is still being told.

Bethune, a Canadian physician. In January 1938, he led a medical team across the ocean to China. In the nearly two years that followed, he went in and out of the line of fire to save lives and help the wounded. During the famous Battle of Qihui, Bethune set up the operating table in a temple 7 miles from the line of fire. Even when enemy shells blew down the wall, he continued to work, operating on 115 wounded for 69 hours. At this time, he was nearly 50 years old, and he also gave blood transfusions of 300 ml each time to the wounded and sick twice. He always said, "You're going to use me as a machine gun." Bethune contracted an emergency operation on the wounded and died on November 12, 1939 at the age of 49 in Huangshikou Village, Tang County, Hebei Province.

Kotnis is an Indian doctor. Kotis is his surname, and after arriving in China, in order to show his determination to fight here, he added the word "Hua" to the end of his surname. After the outbreak of World War II, he came to China with a five-member medical team, joined the Eighth Route Army medical team in Yan'an in February 1939, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in July 1942. During the more than two years in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border region, he always followed Bethune's example and made every effort to rescue the wounded who fought against the Japanese army. In December 1942, due to an epileptic seizure, Kotnis unfortunately died on the front line at the age of 32.

Bésille, French physician. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Eighth Route Army's anti-Japanese base area lacked medical treatment, so Pei Xiye used his identity as a foreign doctor to cross the Japanese army's blockade line and took on the task of transporting medicines, bandages and other medical supplies for the Eighth Route Army. At first, he used a car to deliver it, but the Japanese army then imposed a quota policy on gasoline, and Pei Xiye switched to bicycles, opening up a bicycle "hump route" to transport medical supplies.

During his tenure as a communications technical adviser to the Eighth Route Army, British friend Michael Lin not only trained radio personnel for the revolutionary base areas, but also designed and built antennas and transmitters for the Eighth Route Army, so that the "voice of Yan'an" could be transmitted overseas.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, German friend Hans Heber braved hardships and dangers to go to Yan'an, southern Anhui, and northern Jiangsu to interview the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, and wrote a large number of reports to introduce to the world the true situation of the Chinese people's heroic resistance to war, known as the "Foreign Eighth Road."

September 3 is a day worthy of eternal remembrance by the people of the world. On this day in 1945, after 14 years of arduous struggle, the Chinese people won a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, proclaimed complete victory in the world anti-fascist war, and the sun of peace once again shone on the earth. On such a special day, Xi Jinping affectionately told the story of foreign friends fighting side by side with the Chinese people to emphasize that peace is not easy to come by and peace must be defended.

Only by having a correct understanding of history can we better create the future. In his speech, Xi Jinping explained the historical outlook of the Chinese people from both positive and negative aspects. On the other hand, forgetting history means betrayal, denying the history of aggression, making a mockery of history, an insult to human conscience, and inevitably losing trust with the people of the world. On the positive side, the enlightenment and lessons of history are the common spiritual wealth of mankind, and we should better draw wisdom and strength from history, adhere to peaceful development, and jointly create a hopeful future for world peace. At the meeting held on the same day to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Xi Jinping not only reaffirmed China's diplomatic concept of "never seeking hegemony and never engaging in expansion", but also announced the disarmament of 300,000 people, demonstrating China's firm determination to maintain peace with practical actions.