Moscow visit shows Xi respects history
- By Martin Sieff
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E-mail China Daily, May 6, 2015
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A total of 112 personnel from Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) march during the second rehearsal of the Victory Day Parade in Moscow, Russia on May 4, 2015. This is the first time that Chinese soldiers are included in Russia's military parade. Russia's advanced missiles, tanks, armored personnel carriers and aircrafts are expected to make their debut during the Victory Day parade, which will take place on May 9, 2015. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com] |
The refusal of Western leaders, and those of Germany and Japan, to attend the 70th anniversary Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9 is a willful distortion of modern history. It makes a mockery of the endless self-congratulatory Western celebrations of World War II that have been held over the past year.
President Xi Jinping has exhibited a fine sense of history by deciding to attend the Victory Parade. Between them, China and the Soviet Union lost at least 47 million people in World War II, more than 100 times the total death tolls of either the United States or the British Empire and the Commonwealth.
It is particularly shameful that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has refused to attend the Moscow ceremonies. By contrast, although German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not attend the parade, she will visit Moscow for the 70th anniversary and other ceremonies. Her example should have been followed by US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron. It is outrageous that they have refused to do so.
It is both admirable and revealing that Xi is ignoring this general boycott of Russia to attend this solemn occasion. At least 20 million Chinese people died in the invasion and occupation of China by the Imperial Japanese Army from 1937 to 1945.
The Russian people and other Soviet nationalities suffered greater losses — about 27 million Soviet citizens died in the war.
China played a disproportionately large role in the Pacific War. It pinned down 2 million Japanese troops. In contrast, US combat forces never had to engage Japanese forces more than 400,000 strong in the Philippines starting from October 1944. But these facts are never taught in US schools and colleges.
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