First press conference on the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War

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Speakers:

Mr. Hong Lei, assistant minister of foreign affairs

Mr. Lu Yingchuan, vice minister of culture and tourism

Major General Wu Zeke, deputy director of the Leading Group Office of Military Parade and deputy director general of the Operations Bureau of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission

Mr. Xia Linmao, member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and executive vice mayor of Beijing

Chairperson:

Ms. Shou Xiaoli, head of the Press Center for Commemoration of 80th Anniversary of Victory in Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War

Date:

Aug. 28, 2025

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to the first press conference of the Press Center for the Events Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

According to the schedule of the commemorative activities, a grand ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, including a military parade, will be held at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing on the morning of Sept. 3. General Secretary Xi Jinping will deliver an important speech. At noon, a reception will be held in Beijing, and General Secretary Xi Jinping will deliver an important speech. In the evening, a commemorative gala will be held in Beijing, to be attended by Party and state leaders. Detailed introductions have been released regarding the arrangements.

Today we are very pleased to invite Mr. Hong Lei, assistant minister of foreign affairs; Mr. Lu Yingchuan, vice minister of culture and tourism; Major General Wu Zeke, deputy director of the Leading Group Office of Military Parade and deputy director general of the Operations Bureau of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission; and Mr. Xia Linmao, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and executive vice mayor of Beijing, to introduce the latest progress in the preparations for the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and to answer your questions.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Hong for his introduction.

Hong Lei:

Thank you. Good morning. In a few days, we will hold a grand commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Eighty years ago, after 14 years of arduous and heroic struggle, the Chinese people secured a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, marking the complete victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. China's War of Resistance started the earliest and lasted the longest. China held the ground in the main eastern battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War with enormous national sacrifice. The Chinese People's War of Resistance is an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War and China made a historic contribution to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. China also received extensive support from the international community in its War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the victory of China's War of Resistance was a victory for the Chinese people and for the people of the world.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, 26 foreign heads of state and government will attend the commemorative event. They are: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Miguel Diaz-Canel, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban president, and Min Aung Hlaing, acting president of Myanmar.

At the invitation of the Chinese government, parliamentary speakers, deputy prime ministers and high-level representatives from various countries, heads of international organizations, and former political dignitaries will attend the commemorative events.

The parliamentary speakers and deputy prime ministers include: Republic of Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik; Timor-Leste's National Parliament President Maria Fernanda Lay; Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez Gómez; Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong; Special Envoy of the President and Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt Kamel Al-Wazir; and Chairman of Bulgarian Socialist Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria Atanas Zafirov.

High-level representatives include: Celso Amorim, chief adviser to the Brazilian president; Marcos Galvao, representative of the Brazilian government and ambassador to China; Laureano Ortega Murillo, representative of the Nicaraguan government and presidential adviser; Péter Szijjártó, representative of the Hungarian government and minister of foreign affairs and trade; Major General Haszaimi, commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces; Khalilur Rahman, representative of interim government of Bangladesh and national security adviser; Laid Rebiga, minister of war veterans and rights holders of Algeria; and Ondřej Dostál, member of the European Parliament.

Heads of international and regional organizations include: Under Secretary General of the U.N. Li Junhua, Director General of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Qu Dongyu, President of the New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Jin Liqun, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev, Executive Committee Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Ularbek Zarlykovich Sharsheev, Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia Kairat Sarybay, Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergey Lebedev, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Imangali Tasmagambetov, and Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board Bakytzhan Sagintayev.

The former statesmen include former Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama, former President of the Swiss Federation and Minister of Finance Ulrich Maurer, former Prime Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme, former Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Italy Massimo D'Alema, former Prime Ministers of Romania Adrian Năstase and Viorica Dăncilă, former Prime Ministers of New Zealand Helen Clark and John Key, former Foreign Minister of Australia Robert Carr, and former Premier of the Victoria State of Australia Daniel Andrews.

The foreign diplomatic envoys in China, the military attachés and the representatives of international organizations in China will also attend the commemoration upon invitation. 

We have specially extended invitation to the international friends who have contributed to the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression or their families. Altogether 50 international friends or their families from 14 countries, including Russia, the U.S., the U.K., France and Canada will attend the celebration. During the tenacious struggle, the international friends of different skin colors, different nations and different nationalities traveled the long distance to China and fought side by side with the Chinese people. They forged profound friendships with the Chinese people, a bond that is tested by blood and fire, and by life and death. The Chinese nation has always valued loyalty and righteousness, and we will forever remember their fearless spirit, touching deeds, and noble character.

Now the international situation is facing increased change and turbulence. The deficit of peace is rising. We still have a formidable task in safeguarding world peace. The theme of the Commemoration is to remember history, honor the fallen heroes, cherish peace and create a better future. The Chinese people will stand with people all over the world to firmly defend the victorious outcomes of WWII. We will safeguard the U.N.-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. We will work for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and contribute to the noble cause of world peace and development. Thank you.