China was the main Oriental battlefield in the World Anti-Fascist War and the Chinese people had made great contributions to victory, a renowned Chinese scholar said yesterday.

Speaking at a press briefing held by the State Council Information Office, Wang Jianlang, director of the Institute of Modern History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, briefed reporters about the latest research into World War II.

He said China held back most of Japan's troops while coordinating with the Allies fighting in the West. China also sent troops into Myanmar and other countries to help resist Japanese aggressors.

"Chinese people were not only defending their homeland, but also the security of other countries," said Wang.

He said the Japanese army deployed 1.86 million troops in China, accounting for more than 50 percent of a total of 3.58 million Japanese troops sent overseas.

Chinese forces killed, wounded and captured more than 1.5 million Japanese troops between 1931 and 1945.

He said China's perseverance had greatly impaired the power of the Japanese, forcing them to give up a northward invasion and slowing down their southward approach.

"China's lasting resistance had won valuable time for other anti-fascist countries, including the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain," said Wang.

He noted that during the Pacific War, China engaged the major part of the Japanese army. As a result, Japan was unable to dispatch more troops to the Pacific. This constituted significant support for Allied forces in the Pacific.

As a signatory on post-war declarations and involvement in the trials of war criminals, China also actively participated in the building of the post-war order, he said.

Asked why China was releasing this information now, researcher Li Zhongjie said it was time to share a record of true history.

"We will let the facts speak for themselves. This move is not intended to instigate anything other than dialogue," Li said.

"Seventy years on, 'some forces' still refuse to acknowledge crimes during the Japanese invasion. They even feel reluctant to apologize," he said.

The commemoration of war is to stop it from reoccurring, Wang added.

During the war against Japanese invaders, China suffered a total of 35 million military and non-military casualties — a third of the total casualties of all countries in World War II.

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