Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Studies Center: Always Standing on the Side of Justice and Brightness
From May 7 to 10, 2025, President Xi Jinping conducted a state visit to Russia at the invitation of the Russian side and attended the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War. He published a signed article in Rossiyskaya Gazeta titled "Taking History as a Mirror to Jointly Create the Future." The article pointed out that we must take history as a mirror, drawing wisdom and strength from the profound lessons of World War II and the great victory of the anti-fascist war, resolutely opposing all forms of hegemonism and power politics, and jointly creating a better future for humanity. Taking the joint commemoration of this major historical milestone by China and Russia as an opportunity, President Xi accurately grasped the historical laws governing the winding progress of human civilization, deeply perceived the historical logic of where the current international order came from and where it is going, and courageously addressed the contemporary challenges of a period of global turbulence and transformation. This is a voice of justice and a path of light directed toward the world.
I
Looking back at the extraordinary years eighty years ago when the world’s forces of justice heroically defeated the fascist forces, President Xi Jinping cautioned the world to adhere to a correct view of the history of World War II and to be steadfast guardians of historical memory.
World War II, launched by forces of militarism and fascism, caused unprecedented catastrophe for humanity. China and the Soviet Union were the main battlefields in Asia and Europe, respectively, making decisive contributions and immense sacrifices for the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, and establishing great historical feats in defending human dignity and rebuilding world peace. Faced with ironclad historical facts, any attempt to distort the historical truth of World War II, deny its victorious outcomes, or smear the historical achievements of China and the Soviet Union will never succeed!
— China and the Soviet Union were the mainstays in resisting Japanese militarism and German Nazism
In the Asian theater, the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression lasted fourteen years, starting the earliest and continuing the longest. The Chinese people engaged in a heroic, tragic, and soul-stirring struggle for national survival against the Japanese invaders, suffering more than 35 million casualties and over 500 billion USD in indirect economic losses. China's war of resistance annihilated more than 1.5 million Japanese troops, accounting for over 70% of the total Japanese casualties in World War II. After the July 7 Incident [1] in 1937, the Chinese battlefield consistently pinned down approximately one million main forces of the Japanese Army, at its peak representing over 90% of the total Japanese land forces. In this great resistance, the Communist Party of China (CPC) stepped forward, being the first to propose anti-Japanese positions and take the lead in the struggle. The CPC advocated for the establishment of, and resolutely maintained and consolidated, the Anti-Japanese National United Front, proposing and adhering to the line of total resistance and the general strategic policy of protracted war [2]. It was the political leadership core for the entire nation's united resistance. The vast enemy-rear base areas opened by the CPC and the people’s anti-Japanese armed forces under its leadership were the decisive forces for persevering in and winning the war. Particularly after the war entered the stage of strategic stalemate, the enemy-rear battlefields pinned down and resisted 58% to 75% of the Japanese forces in China and nearly all puppet troops [3]. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression played a decisive role in the total collapse of Japanese fascism, making a contribution that will shine in the annals of history for winning the final victory of WWII and defending world peace.
Eighty years ago, justice-seeking forces worldwide, including China and the Soviet Union, shared a common hatred for the enemy and fought heroically, defeating the once-arrogant fascist forces side-by-side. This was a great victory of justice over evil, light over darkness, and progress over reaction. The photo shows the guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army participating in the military parade in Moscow, the capital of Russia, on May 9, 2025, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xueqi)
In the European theater, the Soviet Red Army withstood the fiercest fire of Nazi Germany's offensive, crushing and annihilating more than 500 German divisions and severely damaging the Nazi German war machine. During most of the war, 75% to 80% of the German forces were forced to deploy on the Eastern Front, and the losses suffered by the German army in combat with the Soviet Red Army accounted for over 73% of its total losses. The cost in casualties for the Soviet Union was extremely heavy, with up to 27 million lives sacrificed—an average of one death for every seven citizens. With resilient will, the Soviet Red Army forged an "iron torrent" that crushed the ambitions of the Nazi invaders, liberated peoples enslaved by German fascism, and wrote a magnificent epic of victory in the Great Patriotic War.
— The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an essential component of the World Anti-Fascist War
World War II was a war of aggression launched by the fascist bloc of Germany, Italy, and Japan to achieve world hegemony, among which Japan was the most aggressive militarist state. Seizing "Manchuria and Mongolia," occupying the whole of China, then annexing Asia and striving for world hegemony were Japan's fundamental national policies and its strategic steps for external aggression and expansion. On September 18, 1931, Japan deliberately provoked the September 18 Incident [4], invading Northeast China and igniting the first flames of fascist aggression. The September 18 Incident was the first step for Japan and the Axis powers to carve up the world. From that moment on, Japanese fascism was a vicious enemy of both the Chinese people and the people of the world. The Soviet prosecutor Kerensky stated at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in 1948: "If we can point to a certain date as the beginning of this bloody period known as the Second World War, September 18, 1931, is perhaps the most justified." History pushed the Chinese nation to the very forefront of the World Anti-Fascist War; the September 18 Incident became the starting point of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and raised the curtain on the World Anti-Fascist War.
In January 1939, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out in his preface to the English edition of On Protracted War that "China's great war of resistance is not only China's business, or the East's business, but the world's business." On the eve of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Hitler suggested to the Japanese side his hope that "Japan would strike into Siberia from Manchuria." Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka also strongly advocated for declaring war on the Soviet Union to strike it from both sides alongside Germany. However, the Chinese resistance struck Japan's "Achilles' heel"—its limited military strength—curbing Japan's "Northern Advance" plan to invade Siberia and allowing the Soviet Union to avoid a two-front war. It pinned down and delayed the Japanese army’s "Southern Advance," reducing military pressure on countries like Britain and the United States in the Pacific theater. Both strategically and operationally, it supported and coordinated with the Allied actions, playing a vital role in ensuring the implementation of the Allies' "Europe First" grand strategy. As an important strategic base for the Allied forces fighting Japan in the Asia-Pacific region, China provided a large amount of strategic materials and military intelligence, supporting the Allies’ anti-fascist war in terms of manpower, material, and financial resources. Meanwhile, as the first country in the world to suffer fascist aggression, China made unremitting long-term efforts to establish an international anti-fascist united front, facilitating its formal establishment. History shows that the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an essential component of the World Anti-Fascist War; China was fighting not only for the future and fate of the Chinese nation but also for the future and fate of all humanity.
— Any act of exonerating or reversing the verdict on Japanese militarism's history of aggression will never succeed
During WWII, Japanese militarism launched a war of aggression and committed unspeakable crimes, bringing profound disasters to the people of China and other victimized Asian countries. However, to this day, trends in Japan to beautify the war of aggression and colonial rule continue to emerge. Some Japanese politicians and right-wing forces turn black into white, slandering China’s legitimate self-defense at the time as "provocation" and shunning war responsibility. They downplay the fact of their initial aggression and deliberately amplify their status as "atomic bomb victims" in an attempt to mislead the public. They push for the revision of the Peace Constitution—designed to prevent the revival of militarism—tamper with history textbooks, and deny the ironclad evidence of the Nanjing Massacre and the "comfort women" issue. Some politicians have repeatedly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class-A war criminals, seriously hurting the feelings of people in Asian countries, including China. Surrounding countries are strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this.
In the World Anti-Fascist War of the 20th century, the Chinese people supported the main Eastern battlefield through immense national sacrifice, making significant contributions to the victory. In the photo, visitors at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Wanping Fortress view a special exhibition on July 7, 2024, commemorating the 87th anniversary of the outbreak of the Full-Scale War of Resistance. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin)
Correctly understanding and treating history is an important prerequisite for Japan's return to the international community after the war, the political foundation for Japan to develop relations with neighboring countries, and a crucial standard for testing whether Japan can abide by its commitment to peaceful development. Preventing the revival of the ghost of militarism is an inescapable historical responsibility for Japan and an unchallengeable, firm will of the Chinese and Asian peoples. Only by facing up to and sincerely reflecting on the history of aggression, earnestly drawing lessons from history, and taking a responsible attitude toward history, the people, and the future—completely severing ties with all behaviors that beautify the history of aggression, adhering to the path of peaceful development, and taking practical actions to win the trust of Asian neighbors and the international community—can Japan create a future.
History cannot be tampered with, and facts cannot be erased. Any words or deeds that deny the history of aggression or even beautify the war of aggression cannot but provoke great indignation and high vigilance among peace-loving people worldwide, including the Chinese people. Those plots to tamper with history based on the selfish interests of current international political maneuvering, those fallacies using discourse hegemony to distort the historical memory of the world's people, and those acts that confuse right and wrong to vilify Chinese and Soviet heroes and martyrs are profanations and provocations against human conscience and dignity! Only by forever pinning the anti-human fascist war criminals to the pillar of historical shame, and by asserting the righteous nature, historical value, and contemporary significance of the Sino-Soviet anti-fascist war, can we prevent the tragedy of WWII from repeating and the wheels of history from turning backward. Only then can we follow the trend of the times and move unswervingly toward the correct direction of human peace and development!
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War, and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Eighty years ago, China and the Soviet Union were among the first to sign the Charter of the United Nations, and together with other key members of the anti-fascist alliance, they began the process of building an international system centered on the UN. The photo shows the text of the Charter of the United Nations. (Xinhua News Agency/United Nations)
II
Perceiving the turbulent course of world development and the evolution of international relations over the past 80 years, President Xi Jinping called on the international community to resolutely safeguard the post-war international order and continuously promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
On the basis of the victory in WWII, China, together with key members of the anti-fascist alliance, discussed the establishment of the United Nations and jointly formulated the UN Charter, opening a new chapter for all countries to build peace and seek development together. It can be said that the international system with the UN at its core is a concentrated expression of the fruits of victory in WWII, laying the cornerstone of the post-war international order and creating the primary platform for maintaining world peace and conducting global governance. The UN Charter is an important guideline for avoiding the recurrence of the scourge of war for future generations; the collective security mechanism with the Security Council at its core is an important guarantee for international peace and security; and as the world's most universal, representative, and authoritative intergovernmental international organization, the UN provides the best support for maintaining world peace, practicing multilateralism, and promoting the democratization of international relations. Over the past 80 years, despite the surging and volatile international situation, the UN has stood the test, supporting world stability and prosperity, ensuring the basic pattern of overall peace, and promoting significant progress in human civilization.
However, today, 80 years later, certain individual countries are going to great lengths to pursue "country first" policies and engage in power politics and bullying [5], attempting to replace multilateralism with unilateralism and the postwar international order with so-called self-defined rules, causing the United Nations to encounter unprecedented shocks. President Xi Jinping pointed out with great force that the more the international situation is intertwined with change and disorder, the more we must persist in and safeguard the authority of the UN. The various confrontations and injustices occurring in today’s world are not because the purposes and principles of the UN Charter are obsolete, but precisely because these purposes and principles have not been effectively implemented. As a permanent member of the Security Council, China firmly maintains the central position of the UN. In February 2025, China presided over a high-level meeting at the UN Security Council under the theme "Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance." Over 100 countries eagerly signed up to participate, unveiling the prelude to the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the UN's founding. This pushed all parties to revisit the UN’s original aspiration [6], abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and manifested China’s responsibility and commitment as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. At the same time, world multipolarity and economic globalization are the major trends in the development of human society; achieving equal and orderly world multipolarity and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization serves the common interests of all countries. History inspires the present and illuminates the future. The international community should firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, ensuring that all countries can participate equally, enjoy rights, and play a role in the process of multipolarization, so that different countries, different classes, and different groups of people can all enjoy the development achievements brought about by economic globalization.
This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan [7]. President Xi Jinping emphasized: "Taiwan’s return to China is an important component of the victories of World War II and the postwar international order." Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory; the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression enabled Taiwan to return to the map of China. The Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation issued by the major victorious nations at that time both clearly stipulated that Taiwan, which Japan had stolen, should be returned to China. Japan also announced its acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation and its unconditional surrender. These points all confirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and constitute an important component of the postwar international order. In 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, deciding to restore all lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the UN and to immediately expel the representatives of the Taiwan authorities from the UN and all its affiliated organizations. This resolution thoroughly resolved the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the UN, and thoroughly blocked any possibility of creating "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan." The principle of sovereignty is the cornerstone of the UN Charter; respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries means supporting China’s achievement of complete reunification, and adhering to "one China" means opposing any form of "Taiwan independence." No matter how the situation within the island of Taiwan changes, and no matter how external forces create trouble, the historical trend that China will eventually be unified—and must be unified—is unstoppable.
III
In reflecting upon where human society is headed under the current acceleration of the changes unseen in a century [8], President Xi Jinping advocates that all countries in the world firmly defend international equity and justice and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
In today's world, the peace deficit, development deficit, security deficit, and governance deficit are increasing rather than decreasing. The acts of unilateralism, hegemonism, power politics, and bullying are profoundly harmful. Humanity once again stands at a crossroads between unity or division, dialogue or confrontation, and win-win or zero-sum games. The painful lessons of WWII are a warning from the recent past [9]; the world must never retreat into the "law of the jungle" where "might makes right." President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity, leading Chinese diplomacy to uphold fairness and justice, courageously take on responsibilities, and make unremitting efforts to resolve the aforementioned deficits and promote humanity’s march toward a beautiful future.
—Actively leading the reform of the global governance system with equity and justice as guiding concepts.
With the in-depth development of economic globalization and world multipolarity, the "Global South" has risen as a group economically and awakened once again politically. The problem of insufficient representation and voice for developing countries in the global governance system has become more prominent. As the largest developing country and an important member of the Global South, China actively safeguards the legitimate rights and development space of developing countries. In response to various differences and disputes between countries, China insists on the equality of all nations, large or small, takes into account the interests of all parties, respects each other's concerns, respects sovereignty, upholds fairness, and speaks out for justice. Adhering to the global governance view of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, China opposes the monopoly of international affairs by a small number of countries and actively strives to expand the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance. China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, took the lead in or participated in the creation of new international cooperation mechanisms such as the New Development Bank, and continuously strengthened close coordination with developing countries on global governance, injecting strong impetus into the reform and improvement of the global governance system. In 2023, China strongly supported the African Union in joining the G20, the main platform for global economic governance; this year, China will continue to firmly support the G20 summit being held for the first time on the African continent, where developing countries are most concentrated, leaving a distinct "African mark" and "Southern mark" on global governance.
—Practicing true multilateralism and promoting international unity and cooperation.
Multilateralism is an effective path for maintaining peace and promoting development. However, individual countries are going to great lengths to prioritize their own countries, pursue unilateralism, and willfully "withdraw from groups and break treaties," seriously undermining multilateralism and international cooperation, provoking opposition and confrontation, and dividing the entire world. Some countries and forces, proceeding from selfish interests, promote various forms of "pseudo-multilateralism." On the surface, they fly the banner of multilateral cooperation, but in essence, they engage in "small circles"; on the surface, they say they want to abide by rules, but in essence, they use international law when it suits them and discard it when it does not; on the surface, they advocate fair competition, but in essence, they pursue "winner-takes-all" and suppress the legitimate development rights of other countries. In response, China advocates the concept of "true multilateralism," helping the international community to keep its eyes open and distinguish the true from the false. China insists that the world has only one system, which is the international system with the UN at its core; only one order, which is the international order based on international law; and only one set of rules, which is the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China insists on openness and inclusiveness, not closedness and exclusion; insists on being based on international rules, not acting with self-importance; and insists on consultation and cooperation, not conflict and confrontation, always acting as a builder of multilateral mechanisms, an advocate of multilateral ideas, and a promoter of multilateral cooperation. Looking around the globe, more and more countries and international organizations are happy to partner up and expand their circles, achieving mutual success and win-win cooperation. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has expanded from 6 members to a "SCO family" of 26 countries, building the regional cooperation organization with the largest geographical coverage and population in the world. The BRICS countries have successively welcomed 6 new members and 9 new partners, becoming a model for practicing multilateralism.
—Implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative to push the building of a community with a shared future for humanity toward deeper and more substantive progress.
President Xi Jinping proposed the "Three Global Initiatives," leading China to focus on the prominent practical problems facing the international community and courageously acting as a "man of action" who integrates knowledge with practice. By applying comprehensive measures from the three dimensions of development, security, and civilization, China has injected stabilizing and revitalizing positive energy into a turbulent world, driving the cause of building a community with a shared future for humanity toward continuous new achievements. China has mobilized nearly 20 billion USD in various development funds, established the "Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative" and the Global Development Promotion Center, and set up more than 30 cooperation platforms around eight key areas such as poverty reduction and food security, having carried out over 1,100 projects. China clarified 20 key cooperation directions and 5 major categories of cooperation platform mechanisms for the Global Security Initiative, playing an active role in maintaining global strategic stability, mediating the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the internal reconciliation of various Palestinian factions, and promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China proposed the construction of a implementation mechanism for the Global Civilization Initiative, following the common values of humanity [10], advocating for the UN General Assembly to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, and supporting all countries in following their own development paths. China took the lead in establishing the Global South Think Tank Cooperation Alliance, promoted the creation of the "China-Arab Center for the Global Civilization Initiative," and proposed holding the China-Latin America Civilization Dialogue Conference. These efforts have created favorable conditions for international exchanges and dialogues among personnel in fields such as culture, education, science and technology, health, sports, tourism, media, and think tanks, effectively promoting mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations and mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign peoples. The three global initiatives have received active support from more than 100 countries, reflecting China’s influence and appeal as an "empowering major power."
An iron shoulder carries the responsibility of justice, and history serves as a mirror for the future [11]. Eighty years ago, in the face of the heinous fascist forces, the people of the world were not afraid of violence, dared to sacrifice, and firmly chose to stand on the side of justice and light, finally welcoming a great victory. Today, 80 years later, at a critical historical moment of deep contest between maintaining hegemony and anti-hegemony, we believe that all forces that want justice rather than dominance will unite closely, as always standing firmly on the side of the common interests of all countries, on the right side of history, and on the side of human progress, working together to strive for a brighter future for the destiny of humanity!
Web Editor: Tongxin Source: Qiushi, 2025, No. 11