This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Eighty years ago, the forces of justice around the world united in courageous battles against their common foes, defeated the overbearing fascist powers, and won the great victory recorded in history. Eighty years later today, the international landscape is fraught with turbulence and transformation, global challenges keep emerging, and the world is standing at a crossroads where choices must be made. We must look back on history to illuminate the present and look toward the future, and draw wisdom and strength from the hard lessons of the Second World War and from the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. We must build on past achievements, refute false narratives to set the record straight, cherish peace, pursue common development, and work together to build a better future for humanity.

We should firmly uphold a correct historical perspective on WWII and protect the historical truth. History may fade with time, but historical memory must never be erased. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War represent the decisive battle between justice and evil, light and darkness, and the forces for progress and the reactionary. Japanese militarists burned, killed, and plundered on Chinese soil, committed the horrific Nanjing Massacre, waged appalling biological and chemical warfare, and conducted “human experimentation.” These heinous atrocities were a brutal trampling on life and human rights, and a grave challenge to human civilization. Under the banner of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, which was advocated and established by the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people launched a relentless struggle and held ground in the principal theater in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War after making immense sacrifices of over 35 million military and civilian casualties and economic losses amounting to hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars.

They defeated the brutal Japanese militarists, and carved out an immortal epic of heroic resistance and ultimate victory against Japanese aggression. Eighty years after the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, there are still a few people who ignore the clear historical facts that countless innocent lives were lost during the wars, and repeatedly attempt to deny or glorify the history of aggression, arousing strong condemnation among all peace-loving peoples of the world, including the Chinese people. History cannot be rewritten, and facts cannot be denied. Any attempt to distort the historical truth of WWII, to whitewash the history of aggression and crimes, to overturn the verdict on militarism, or to turn back the wheel of history will never be accepted by the Chinese people, nor by the people across the world.

We should resolutely uphold the postwar international order and jointly meet the challenges of the times. History is the best textbook and the best remedy. The history of WWII is not only a record of the past, but also has a profound impact on contemporary international relations and on the postwar international order. The U.N.-centered international system is the embodiment of the victorious outcome of WWII. It has underpinned global stability and prosperity, ensured overall peace, and propelled the progress of human civilization. At present, the world faces various challenges. Unilateralism and power politics are severely impacting the U.N. and the multilateral system.

Certain countries are aggressively putting their own interests first, practicing power politics, bullying others, and attempting to replace multilateralism with unilateralism and to substitute the postwar international order with so-called rules of their own making. The painful lessons of WWII remain vivid. Hegemonism and the law of the jungle, where might makes right, must never be allowed to return. All peace-loving people of the world must remember the history written with blood and sacrifice, firmly defend the victorious outcome of WWII, uphold true multilateralism, defend the authority and sanctity of the U.N., uphold the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, jointly oppose hegemonism, power politics and bullying, promote greater democracy in international relations, and defend international fairness and justice.

We should build a community with a shared future for humanity and create a brighter future. History cannot be changed, but the future can be shaped. Facing the important question of “what kind of world we need and how to build such a world”, President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity as well as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. They provide China’s wisdom and solutions from multiple dimensions for meeting global changes and addressing the challenges confronting humanity, and respond to the universal aspiration of all peoples for peace, development and cooperation. They set clearer goals and chart a brighter course for humanity’s future, demonstrate China’s sense of responsibility as a major country through concrete actions, and are widely recognized and supported by the international community.

No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will stay committed to the path of peaceful development and the mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, and will remain a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order and a provider of public goods. China will continue to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and work with other countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, and shared prosperity. In advancing the great cause of building a community with a shared future for humanity, countries must draw lessons from history and stand together in solidarity. We need to replace confrontation with cooperation, prevent lose-lose situations through win-win solutions, actively promote friendly cooperation, firmly resist the Cold-War mentality and zero-sum games, and strive to advance world peace and security and the common progress of humanity.

The smoke of WWII has long cleared, but the warning bells of history will always ring. We must follow the logic of history and keep pace with the trend of the times. China will walk hand in hand with countries around the world to uphold what is right, safeguard global stability, deepen win-win cooperation, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, thereby passing on the torch of peace and development from generation to generation.

Cui Aimin,
Chinese Ambassador to Sweden

On June 10, we celebrated the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations of the United Nations. This commemorative day, jointly initiated by China and over 80 countries, carries the common expectations of the international community for peace, development and friendship. It also marks a new starting point for different civilizations in the world to jointly meet challenges and embrace a better future. Dialogue among civilizations is a good way to resolve differences, mutual learning among civilizations is the source of human progress, and inter-civilizational exchanges can provide a continuous flow of fresh ideas and strong impetus for China-Sweden friendly cooperation.

Dialogue among civilizations: The “golden key” to meeting the challenges of the times

At present, the international landscape is undergoing profound changes, marked by intertwined crises and risks, along with increasing deficit in peace, development, security and governance. Against this backdrop, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative in 2023, which has received broad support from many countries and injected strong momentum into the modernization of human society and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. In 2024, the 78th UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, which reflects the universal aspiration of people of all countries to foster dialogue among civilizations and advance human progress. It also makes important contributions to enhancing equal exchanges and dialogues among different civilizations and promoting world peace and development.

History has repeatedly shown that openness fosters mutual understanding, and exchanges deepen mutual trust. The Chinese and Swedish peoples share a deep consensus on this. Nobel’s belief of serving humanity as a citizen of the world and the statement from China’s Book of Rites, “A just cause should be pursued for the common good,” both embody the philosophy of transcending civilizational barriers and striving for harmonious coexistence. As we mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations, dialogue among civilizations holds even greater significance. Barriers and prejudices only exacerbate conflicts; only through inter-civilizational dialogue can we build a solid foundation for mutual trust and ensure common security.

Mutual learning among civilizations: The anchor of promoting China-Sweden cooperation

Human history is an epic of encounters, mutual learning, and symbiosis among different civilizations. Although China and Sweden are located at the opposite ends of the Eurasian continent, the two countries share a long history of friendly exchanges. More than 280 years ago, the merchant ship Götheborg established the bond of exchanges between China and Sweden. Seventy-five years ago, Sweden became the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have maintained active exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, culture, and education. In the digital age, people-to-people exchanges have been further invigorated, depicting a vibrant picture of mutual learning among civilizations in the new era.

Sweden became the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Civilizations have become richer and more colorful with exchanges and mutual learning. The complementary strengths of China and Sweden in the fields of scientific and technological innovation, green development and cultural exchanges have not only promoted the steady development of bilateral relations, but also contributed Eastern wisdom and Nordic experience to global sustainable development. This kind of mutual learning among civilizations, based on mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness, transcends geographical and cultural differences. It builds a bridge of win-win cooperation, and stands as a vivid practice of mutual success and shared progress of countries with different civilizations, different systems and different stages of development.

Mutual advancement of civilizations: The compass for creating a better future

President Xi Jinping has pointed out that countries are not riding separately in some 190 small boats, but are rather all in a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges. It is the cherished vision of the Chinese people that a noble cause is never a lonely pursuit and the whole world is one family. Promoting human progress and world harmony has been a relentless pursuit of the Communist Party of China. China and Sweden should take the International Day of Dialogue among Civilizations as an opportunity to draw on historical wisdom, seize the opportunities of the times, carry forward traditional friendship, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation. We should actively promote international free trade, jointly oppose unilateralism and the law of the jungle, firmly safeguard their legitimate rights and interests as well as the common interests of the international community, and contribute greater stability and certainty to the world.

Dialogue among different civilizations has always been a timeless theme in the progress of humanity. China is ready to work with Sweden and other partners around the world to uphold equality among civilizations, promote exchanges among civilizations, advance the progress of civilizations, move toward the inspiring vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and join hands to create a better tomorrow.

Cui Aimin, China’s Ambassador to Sweden