George MacDonell displays one of the books he has written about the war at his home in Toronto in July. Rena Li / China Daily

In 1984, MacDonell proposed that Ontario and Jiangsu province - where the 1937 Nanking Massacre took place - establish a joint venture, the Jiangsu-Ontario Technology Centre, which was built in 1987.

"We brought the governor of Jiangsu to Toronto ... and we had a wonderful relationship," he said. "So I've been involved with the Chinese people as a soldier, and as a diplomat, for a long time, for about 80 years."

After retiring from business and government, MacDonell published four books: One Soldier's Story, A Dog Named Gander, They Never Surrendered and The Life and Times of George S. MacDonell. And his ties with China have not ended.

Return to China

In 2005, he brought 150 Canadian high school students to Hong Kong to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the day the prisoners were released from the Japanese camps, and to say a "last goodbye" to his Canadian comrades who lost their lives during the Battle of Hong Kong and are buried in Sai Wan Military Cemetery.

On June 18, the Chinese embassy in Canada hosted a ceremony in Ottawa marking the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II and the end of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

A ceremony was held in front of the Defence of Hong Kong Memorial Wall, and MacDonell was invited to represent Canadian veterans of the Battle of Hong Kong.

He dedicated his remarks to the Chinese volunteers who fought alongside the Canadians in what he described as a courageous attempt to thwart the Japanese invaders against overwhelming odds.

Luo Zhaohui, China's ambassador to Canada, presented MacDonell with a certificate of appreciation for his bravery.

"For the young Canadian fighters, they fought not for conquest. They fought to end conquest. They fought for peace, for lasting peace," Luo said at the ceremony. "Some survived while others never returned. They sleep forever in the remote lands. We will never forget them. We will remember them forever."

Contact the writer at renali@chinadailyusa.com