BEIJING - As more than 15,000 multinational soldiers prepare to march across Moscow's Red Square to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of against fascists on Saturday, China's contribution in the war should not be forgotten.

The guards of honor from the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will take part in the May 9 Victory Day Parade, the biggest ever held in modern Russia and the first time China will have participated in such a parade.

President Xi Jinping will attend Saturday's ceremony, which will include 102 Chinese servicemen, with other foreign dignitaries. Xi will also meet with WWII veterans.

The attendance of Xi and the PLA servicemen at the event reflects the noble spirit of joint military operations of the Allies during WWII. It also illustrates that China attaches great importance to remembering history and safeguarding post-war world order.

China's contribution during WWII is often greatly undervalued. The 1937 Marco Polo Bridge incident and the official declaration of the anti-Japanese war meant that China was the first country dragged into the war.

It was a regional war, but the significance was global. Many Japanese troops were held back on Chinese territory, affecting Japan's military deployment to the Soviet Union and Europe. In tackling Japanese aggressors, about 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians died or were seriously injured.

The perseverance of the Chinese people, a value which is universal, has ultimately led to peace and freedom.

As the main battlefield of Asia in WWII, China's contribution to the eventual defeat of Japanese militarism and fascist forces helped to usher in of a new era of world peace.

Due to its contribution, China became a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

It is necessary to remember history, learn from past tragedies, defend and gain power from victory, reaffirm determination to stop history from being distorted and challenge the postwar international order.

Political ends should not be served by whitewashing history.

China will hold a military parade later this year to mark the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, part of worldwide commemorative events for WWII.

The commemoration will show that war provocation is a crime against humanity, and peace should be built on mutual understanding and shared prosperity.