China's Global Contributions in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This war of national liberation was the first anti-aggression war in which the Chinese nation achieved a complete victory since the Opium War of 1840. After 14 years of tenacious resistance, the Chinese military and civilian population, at a huge cost in casualties, pinned down millions of Japanese troops, directly relieving the immense pressure on the United States in the Pacific theater and indirectly eliminating the danger of a "pincer attack" for the European anti-fascist front. It can be said that the Chinese People's War of Resistance opened up the Eastern Main Battlefield [1]1 Eastern Main Battlefield: the Chinese theater of war, considered the primary front in Asia against Japan during World War II. and made a significant contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

2025年是中国人民抗日战争胜利80周年。这场民族解放战争是自1840年鸦片战争以来中华民族首次取得完全胜利的反侵略战争。中国军民经过14年的顽强抗战，以极大伤亡代价拖住日本数百万军力，直接减轻了美国在太平洋战场的巨大压力，也间接消除了欧洲反法西斯战场的“腹背受敌”之患。可以说，中国人民抗日战争开辟了东方主战场，为世界反法西斯战争的胜利作出了重大贡献。

The Eastern Main Battlefield pinned down the main forces of the Japanese army.

东方主战场牵制日军主力

For a long time, some Western scholars, influenced by "Western-centrism" [2]2 Western-centrism: a worldview that places Western civilization at the center of historical narratives., have been unwilling or reluctant to accept the fact that China's War of Resistance made tremendous contributions to the World Anti-Fascist War, and thus have denied the status and role of the Chinese theater. Mao Zedong pointed out: "Our enemy is a worldwide enemy, and China's war of resistance is a worldwide war of resistance." The heroic resistance of the Chinese military and civilians not only shattered the arrogant clamor of Japanese militarists to "destroy China in three months" [3]3 The boast of “destroying China in three months” was made by Japanese militarists at the start of the full-scale invasion in 1937., but also disrupted the subsequent "northward advance" strategy and ruined Japan's "southward advance" plan.

长期以来，一些西方学者受“西方中心论”影响，不愿也不想接受中国抗战在世界反法西斯战争中作出了巨大贡献这一事实，进而否定中国战场的地位和作用。毛泽东指出：“我们的敌人是世界性的敌人，中国的抗战是世界性的抗战。”中国军民的英勇抗战，不仅打破了日本军国主义分子“三个月灭亡中国”的狂妄叫嚣，更打乱了日军后续的“北进”战略，也破坏了日本“南进”计划。

The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an inalienable and important component of the World Anti-Fascist War. Since 1995, Chinese historiography has achieved many research results in comprehensively evaluating the status and role of China's War of Resistance in the World Anti-Fascist War, and the consensus reached is: China's War of Resistance opened up the world's first anti-fascist battlefield, and naturally was an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War. Likewise, as a major belligerent in World War II, the Chinese military and civilians' War of Resistance first raised the curtain of the World Anti-Fascist War. Especially during the stalemate phase [4]4 Stalemate phase: the period after 1938 when the front lines stabilized and the war became one of attrition. of the War of Resistance, the protracted war [5]5 Protracted war: a Maoist military strategy of drawing the enemy into a long, costly war of attrition. directly led by the Communist Party of China completely shattered the plot of the Axis [6]6 Axis: the military alliance between Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. (Germany, Italy, Japan) to meet in the Middle East and partition the world. After the Pacific theater was opened, the Eastern theater also became the main battlefield against Japanese fascism. From the northeast to the north China, from central China to south China, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army [7]7 Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army: the two main communist-led military forces during the War of Resistance., guerrilla forces, and various anti-Japanese armed forces, from beginning to end, firmly "tethered" the main forces of the Japanese army to the Chinese theater, thereby completely disrupting Japan's plans for a "northward advance" to attack the Soviet Union and a "southward advance" to invade Southeast Asia and South Asia.

中国人民抗日战争是世界反法西斯战争不可分割的重要组成部分。1995年以来，中国史学界在全面评价中国抗战在世界反法西斯战争中的地位和作用方面，取得了诸多研究成果，获得的共识是：中国抗战开辟了世界上第一个反法西斯战场，自然也是世界反法西斯战争的重要组成部分。同样，作为第二次世界大战的主要参战国，中国军民的抗战率先揭开世界反法西斯战争的序幕，尤其是在抗日战争相持阶段，中国共产党直接领导的持久战彻底打破了德日意三国“轴心国”会师中东、瓜分世界的图谋；在太平洋战场开辟之后，东方战场也成为抗击日本法西斯的主战场，从东北到华北、从华中到华南，八路军和新四军、游击队及各抗日武装，自始至终将日本陆军主力牢牢地“拴”在中国战场，进而彻底打乱了日本“北进”进攻苏联、“南进”侵略东南亚和南亚的计划。

China's War of Resistance pinned down the main forces of the Japanese army. During the full-scale War of Resistance [8]8 Full-scale War of Resistance: the period from 1937 to 1945, when the Sino-Japanese War intensified after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident., the people's army led and commanded by the Communist Party of China annihilated more than 520,000 Japanese troops and more than 490,000 puppet troops [9]9 Puppet troops: Chinese forces collaborating with the Japanese occupation, such as those of the Wang Jingwei regime., totaling more than 1.01 million. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, 70% of Japan's army and nearly one-third of its navy were still tied down by China. According to incomplete statistics, in the eight years from 1937 to 1945 alone, more than 200 important campaigns and nearly 200,000 battles of various sizes occurred in the Chinese theater, annihilating more than 1.55 million Japanese troops. Including the 1.283 million Japanese troops who surrendered on August 15, 1945, a total of more than 2.8 million Japanese troops were bogged down in the Chinese theater.

中国抗战牵制着日本陆军主力。在全面抗战时期，中国共产党领导和指挥的人民军队，就歼灭日军52万余人、伪军49万余人，合计101万余人。太平洋战争爆发后，日本70%的陆军和近1/3的海军仍然被中国拖住。据不完全统计，仅自1937年到1945年的8年间，中国战场发生200余次重要战役、近20万次大大小小的战斗，共歼灭日军155万余人，加上1945年8月15日投降的128.3万日军，总共280多万日军深陷于中国战场。

At the same time, statistics and evaluations from the enemy side also confirm this conclusion. The 1943 comprehensive battle report of the Japanese North China Area Army headquarters pointed out: "The enemy is mostly the Chinese Communist forces. Unlike the Chiang Kai-shek forces, among the 15,000 engagements this year, 75% were with the Chinese Communist forces. Of the 2 million enemy troops engaged, more than half were also Chinese Communist forces... On the one hand, this exposes the inferiority of the Chongqing forces, and on the other hand, it also illustrates the high fighting spirit of the Chinese Communist forces." This fully proves that the army led by the Communist Party of China during the stalemate phase was the main participant in the war against Japan and played the role of the main force.

与此同时，来自敌方的统计和评价也证明了这一结论。日军华北方面军司令部1943年度综合战果报道指出：“敌大半为中共军，与蒋军相反，在本年交战一万五千次中，和中共的作战占七成五。在交战的二百万敌军中，半数以上也都是中共军……一方面暴露了重庆军的劣弱性，同时也说明了中共军交战意识的昂扬。”这充分证明，中国共产党在相持阶段所领导的军队是对日作战的主要参与者，发挥着主力军的作用。

From 1937 to 1940, the Chinese theater pinned down the main forces of the Japanese army divisions. Before the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Chinese theater was the only theater resisting Japanese fascism. At that time, Japan's total army strength in China reached 80%, and at its peak 94%. Until the end of the War of Resistance, the number of Japanese troops in China still far exceeded the total strength in the Pacific theater.

1937—1940年，中国战场牵制了日本陆军师团的主力。太平洋战争爆发前，中国战场是抗击日本法西斯的唯一战场，彼时日本陆军总兵力在华达80%，最高时达94%；直至抗日战争结束，在华日军人数仍远超太平洋战场的总兵力。

The international community highly evaluated China's War of Resistance.

国际社会对中国抗战给予高度评价

China was the Eastern main battlefield against Japanese fascist aggression, and China's War of Resistance received high attention and affirmation from the international community. On January 6, 1945, US President Roosevelt said in his State of the Union address [10]10 State of the Union address: the annual message by the US President to Congress.: "We also cannot forget how the Chinese people, over a period of more than seven years, withstood the barbaric onslaught of the Japanese and pinned down large numbers of enemy troops throughout the vast expanse of the Asian continent." He further pointed out: "If there were no China, if China had collapsed, think how many divisions of Japanese troops could be transferred to other fronts? They could immediately take Australia, take India—they could take these places effortlessly. And they could rush straight to the Middle East." In addition, many scholars, including historian Mark Selden [11]11 Mark Selden: American historian at Cornell University, author of works on modern China. of Cornell University and political science professor Edward Friedman [12]12 Edward Friedman: American political scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, have given high praise to China's War of Resistance.

中国是抗击日本法西斯侵略的东方主战场，中国抗战受到国际社会的高度关注和肯定。1945年1月6日，美国总统罗斯福在国情咨文中表示，“我们也忘不了中国人民在七年多的长时间里怎样顶住了日本人的野蛮进攻和在亚洲大陆广大地区牵制住大量的敌军”。他进一步指出，“假如没有中国，假如中国被打坍了，你想一想有多少师团的日本兵可以因此调到其他方面来作战？他们可以马上打下澳洲，打下印度——他们可以毫不费力地把这些地方打下来。他们并且可以一直冲向中东”。此外，包括美国康奈尔大学史学家马克·赛尔登、威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校政治科学系教授爱德华·弗里德曼等在内的多位学者都对中国抗战给予高度评价。

Marshal Vasily Chuikov [13]13 Marshal Vasily Chuikov: Soviet military commander who served as military attaché to China (1940–1942)., former Soviet military attaché to China, specifically pointed out: "Even in our most difficult years of war, Japan did not attack the Soviet Union, but instead drowned China in blood. Anyone who respects objective facts cannot but take into account this obvious and indisputable fact." Yuri Tavrovsky [15]15 Yuri Tavrovsky: Russian professor at Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, known for pro-China views., a professor at Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, believes: "Since ancient times, fighting a two-front war [14]14 Two-front war: the military strategy of avoiding fighting on two separate fronts simultaneously. has been a great taboo in military strategy... The Soviet Red Army did not fall into a two-front war in World War II, thereby being able to concentrate superior forces for the defense of Moscow and Stalingrad, and ultimately gaining victory in the European theater of World War II. For all this, we must not forget China's enormous sacrifice and thank China for its outstanding contribution."

曾任苏联驻华武官的崔可夫元帅特别指出，“甚至在我们最艰苦的战争年代里日本也没有进攻苏联，却把中国淹没在血泊中。稍微尊重客观事实的人都不能不考虑到这一明显而又无可争辩的事实”。俄罗斯人民友谊大学教授尤里·塔夫罗夫斯基认为：“自古以来，两线作战属兵家大忌……苏联红军在二战中没有陷入两线作战，由此得以集中优势兵力进行莫斯科和斯大林格勒保卫战，并最终赢得二战欧洲战场的胜利。所有这些，我们都不能不铭记中国的巨大牺牲、感谢中国的卓越贡献。”

In 2005, when the world solemnly commemorated the 60th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, major British media reported on the "tremendous achievements" of China's War of Resistance. The Guardian clearly stated that had China not pinned down Japanese forces in the Asian theater, Japan might have immediately attacked the Soviet rear or massively invaded the Pacific region, and history would have been rewritten! In addition, Antony Beevor [16]16 Antony Beevor: British historian known for his works on World War II., a visiting professor at the University of London, reminded his colleagues to reflect on World War II and to broaden their perspective far beyond "their own feet" (Europe itself).

2005年，在世界各地隆重纪念世界反法西斯战争胜利60周年之际，英国各大媒体报道了中国抗战的“巨大功绩”。《卫报》明确提出，若非中国在亚洲战场拖住日本军队，日本完全可能会随即进攻苏联后方，或者大举入侵太平洋地区，历史将会重写！此外，伦敦大学客座教授安东尼·比弗提醒同行要对二战进行反思，评价视野要投向远方，而非仅仅在“自己脚底下”（欧洲本土）。

The Chinese People's War of Resistance was the first to raise the banner of the World Anti-Fascist War and was the longest Eastern battlefield against fascist aggression. China's War of Resistance effectively struck at and pinned down Japanese fascism, forming a powerful support for the Allied operations and making a major contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

中国人民抗日战争率先扛起了世界反法西斯战争的旗帜，也是抗击法西斯侵略时间最长的东方战场；中国抗战有力打击和牵制了日本法西斯，对同盟国作战形成有力支撑，为世界反法西斯战争胜利作出巨大贡献。

(The author is a professor at the School of Marxism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

（作者系上海交通大学马克思主义学院教授）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心