Major theater of anti-fascist war

Different from World War I, World War II had two major war-waging countries - Germany and Japan - and two major theaters of war - the European and the Asian.

Compared with other parts of the world, the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the first anti-fascist war; it lasted longer and resulted in heavier losses, too. History shows China was a major theater of the world's fight against fascism.

China's role in WWII was highly praised by Franklin Roosevelt, then president of the US, who believed that without the resistance of China, a lot of Japanese military forces could have been released to invade other countries and regions, such as India and even the Middle East. The role that China played in WWII made it one of the "four major powers" together with the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom, and later helped it become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The reason China transformed from a country that had been repeatedly bullied by imperialist powers to a core power tasked with international peacekeeping missions lies in the key role it played in the world's fight against fascism and the decisive role of the Asian theater of war in WWII. The status that China gained after WW II was the confirmation of its huge contribution to the war and the result of the world's expectation that it play a key role in maintaining international peace and justice.

Wang Jianlang is director of the Institute of Modern History, affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences