China has marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat, which ended the Second World War, with its envoy here honouring millions of lives lost and urging a renewed global commitment to peace.
China, which has dubbed the conflict the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, began its battle against Tokyo in 1931, when Japanese imperialist forces overran the northeastern region of Manchuria a full decade before Japan joined Germany in declaring war on the United States and allies.
Beijing’s new ambassador to Barbados, Zheng Bingkai, highlighted the historic significance of the victory, which came after 14 years of fighting: “Eighty years ago, after enduring the blood and fire of battlefields for 14 years, the Chinese people won a great victory in the War of Resistance, defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity. This victory marked a historic turning point, leading the Chinese nation out of a profound crisis toward great rejuvenation.”
Ambassador Zheng noted that China lost more than 35 million people and suffered direct economic losses exceeding US$100 billion. He described the conflict as “the main battlefield in the East during World War II – starting the earliest, lasting the longest, tying down the largest number of Japanese forces, and bearing the heaviest sacrifices”.
He also drew attention to connections with Barbados, pointing to the sacrifice of Barbadian men who fought and died in Europe during the war. “Though far from the main battlefields, the people of Barbados showed the same steadfast commitment as the Chinese people. In 1940, the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow… along with 11 other of his countrymen… enlisted in the Royal Air Force to serve during World War II,” he said, referring to a second contingent of Barbadian airmen volunteers. “Six of them laid down their lives for the cause of justice. This deep yearning for peace binds China and Barbados together.”
Barbados joined China on Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Some of the attendees included China’s new Ambassador to Barbados Zheng Bingkai (seated centre), former Central Bank Governor and president of the ABCF, Dr DeLisle Worrell (seated second left) and Barbados’ former Ambassador to China, Dr Chelston Brathwaite (seated second right). (SZB)
But the ambassador reaffirmed China’s position on Taiwan, linking its return to the mainland in 1945 with the international legal framework established after the war. “Challenging the one-China principle means defying the UN’s authority and undermining the postwar order,” he declared.
Barbados broke ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China on May 30, 1977. CARICOM nations remain divided in their relations with Beijing and Taipei, whose democratic government has long rejected reunification with mainland China.
Former Central Bank governor and president of the Association of Barbados-China Friendship, Dr DeLisle Worrell, also reflected on the Second World War’s legacy for Caribbean families: “I grew up in an atmosphere of privation, trauma, personal tragedy and loss of life and property. These are the inevitable consequences of war. The Caribbean was on the winning side, but those young Caribbean men and women who lost their lives in the conflict never knew that, and the lives of their partners, parents, children and loved ones were forever saddened by their absence.”
He added: “History teaches us that peace is essential for progress…. War always interrupts that progress.”
Ambassador Zheng urged both nations to learn from history in responding to today’s global challenges: “Just as people once fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism, so too must nations now unite under the banner of peace and justice…. Let us work hand in hand, with stronger resolve to safeguard sovereignty and development interests, with greater goodwill to deepen China-Barbados exchanges, and with broader openness to build a community with a shared future for mankind.” (SZB)
The post China marks 80th anniversary of wartime victory with peace call appeared first on Barbados Today.
