The Anti-Japanese National United Front Was the Basic Guarantee of Victory in the War of Resistance

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and also the 90th anniversary of the publication of the August First Declaration and the establishment of the strategic policy of the anti-Japanese national united front at the Wayaobu Conference. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “Under the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front initiated by the Chinese Communist Party, ‘four hundred million of our countrymen have risen in unison, united as one to face the aggressor,’ the Chinese people built a Great Wall of steel with their own flesh and blood to save the nation from peril and defend national dignity, writing a great chapter in the history of the Chinese nation’s resistance against foreign aggression with their lives and blood.”[1]1 This is a quotation from President Xi Jinping’s speech at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance (2015). The poetic line “四万万人齐蹈厉，同心同德一戎衣” is a paraphrase from classical Chinese poetry, meaning the entire population rose in anger and united to fight the invader. This scientific judgment is a high appraisal and profound summary of the historical contributions of the anti-Japanese national united front. Looking back at those stirring years of shared hatred against the enemy and bloody battle, the anti-Japanese national united front led by the Chinese Communist Party miraculously transformed a weak and dark China that was then divided, disunited, and at the mercy of others, into a flesh-and-blood Great Wall of unity, solidarity, and joint resistance against external aggression, completely reversing the balance of forces between justice and evil, and providing the basic guarantee for the great victory of the War of Resistance.

今年是中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年，也是《八一宣言》发表和瓦窑堡会议确立抗日民族统一战线策略方针90周年。习近平总书记深刻指出：“在中国共产党倡导建立的抗日民族统一战线旗帜下，‘四万万人齐蹈厉，同心同德一戎衣’，中国人民以血肉之躯筑起拯救民族危亡、捍卫民族尊严的钢铁长城，用生命和鲜血谱写了中华民族历史上抵御外侮的伟大篇章。”这一科学论断是对抗日民族统一战线历史贡献的高度评价和深刻总结。回望那段同仇敌忾、浴血奋战的峥嵘岁月，中国共产党领导的抗日民族统一战线，奇迹般地将当时四分五裂、一盘散沙、任人宰割的暗弱中国，凝聚成万众一心、众志成城、共御外侮的血肉长城，彻底扭转了正义与邪恶的力量对比，为抗日战争的伟大胜利提供了基本保证。

I. The Anti-Japanese National United Front Laid the Important Political Foundation for Victory in the War of Resistance

一、抗日民族统一战线奠定了抗战胜利的重要政治基础

The flames of the War of Resistance were both a bloody test of life and death and rebirth for the Chinese nation, and a touchstone for testing the historical responsibility and political wisdom of various political forces in China. At the critical moment of survival, whoever could stand on the correct side of history, accurately grasp the principal contradiction in society, and propose and implement the correct line would be the backbone of the nation and become the mainstay of the resistance.

抗日战争的烽火，既是中华民族生死存亡、凤凰涅槃的浴血考验，也是检验中国各种政治力量历史担当与政治智慧的试金石。在危急存亡关头，谁能站在历史正确一边，准确把握社会主要矛盾，提出并践行正确路线，谁就是民族的脊梁，就能成为抗战的中流砥柱。

Facing the barbaric invasion of Japanese imperialism, the Chinese Communist Party, guided by scientific theory, deeply discerned the theme of the times of national salvation, and took the lead in proposing and actively promoting the establishment of the broadest possible anti-Japanese national united front. After the September 18th Incident,[2]2 The September 18th Incident (1931) was a staged event used by the Japanese Kwantung Army as a pretext to invade and occupy Northeast China. wherever the iron heel of the Japanese aggressors trod, fertile fields were turned to scorched earth, cities were reduced to ruins, compatriots were reduced to slaves, and the Chinese nation fell into the deepest crisis since modern times. However, the Nationalist government humiliatingly retreated and conceded, sitting idly by as vast territories were lost and the people displaced, to the point that national dignity was swept away; far from eliminating the external threat, this actually fueled the Japanese aggressors’ wild ambition to swallow up China. In stark contrast, the Chinese Communist Party, representing the will of the entire Chinese people to resist Japan, took the lead in proposing the correct proposition of recovering lost territory and saving the nation through resistance, issued the call for armed resistance, and resolutely opposed the aggression of Japanese militarism — this was the earliest and most resolute resistance in that darkest hour. On August 1, 1935, the delegation of the Chinese Communist Party to the Communist International drafted the “Letter to All Compatriots on Saving the Nation through Resistance Against Japan from the Chinese Soviet Government and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party,” known as the famous August First Declaration, which was soon published publicly. The declaration clearly called for an end to the civil war, stating that “to resist Japan is to survive; not to resist Japan is to die; saving the nation through resistance against Japan has become the sacred duty of every compatriot,” showing the world the firm determination of the Chinese Communist Party to unite and lead the entire Chinese people in a common struggle against Japan. In December of the same year, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held an enlarged Politburo meeting in Wayaobu,[3]3 The Wayaobu Conference (December 1935) was a key meeting of the CCP Central Committee that shifted the Party’s line from opposing both the Kuomintang and Japan to building a united front against Japan. and based on the new changes in domestic class relations after Japan’s intensified aggression against China, established the strategic policy of forming an anti-Japanese national united front. This major strategic decision pointed the correct way forward for the Chinese nation, which was then in deep crisis.

面对日本帝国主义的野蛮侵略，中国共产党以科学理论为指导，深刻洞察救亡图存的时代主题，率先提出并积极推动建立最广泛的抗日民族统一战线。九一八事变后，日本侵略者铁蹄所至，沃野化为焦土，城市变为废墟，同胞沦为奴隶，中华民族陷入了近代以来最深重的危机。然而，国民党政府屈辱退让，坐视大片国土沦丧、人民流离失所，以致民族尊严扫地，非但未能消弭外患，反而助长日本侵略者鲸吞中国的狂妄野心。与之形成鲜明对比的是，中国共产党代表全国人民抗日意愿，率先提出收复失地、抗日救国的正确主张，发出武装抗日的号召，坚决反对日本军国主义的侵略，这是那个至暗时刻最早、最坚决的抗争。1935年8月1日，中共驻共产国际代表团草拟《中国苏维埃政府、中国共产党中央为抗日救国告全体同胞书》，即著名的《八一宣言》，不久公开发表。宣言明确主张停止内战，提出“抗日则生，不抗日则死，抗日救国，已成为每个同胞的神圣天职”，向全世界展现了中国共产党团结带领全国人民共同抗日的坚强决心。同年12月，中共中央在瓦窑堡召开政治局扩大会议，根据日本帝国主义加紧侵华后中国国内阶级关系的新变化，确立了建立抗日民族统一战线的策略方针。这一重大战略决策，为陷入深重危机的中华民族指明了正确前进方向。

At the critical moment when Japanese imperialism was intensifying its aggression against China and the national crisis was unprecedentedly severe, the Chinese Communist Party took the lead in proposing and actively promoting the establishment of the broadest possible anti-Japanese national united front, facilitating the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident,[4]4 The Xi’an Incident (December 1936) was the kidnapping of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek by Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng to force him to end the civil war and unite with the CCP against Japan; it was peacefully resolved through CCP mediation. and playing a major historical role in promoting the renewed cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party and united resistance against Japan. The picture shows Zhou Enlai, who had returned to Yan’an after negotiations with Kuomintang representatives following the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident, being welcomed by Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (file photo). Xinhua News Agency release.

在日本帝国主义加紧侵略我国、民族危机空前严重的关头，中国共产党率先提出并积极推动建立最广泛的抗日民族统一战线，促成西安事变和平解决，对推动国共再次合作、团结抗日起了重大历史作用。图为西安事变和平解决后，同国民党代表谈判的周恩来结束谈判回到延安时，受到毛泽东等中共中央领导人的欢迎（资料照片）。 新华社发

Putting national and ethnic interests first, the Chinese Communist Party, with tremendous political courage, wisdom, and resolve, did its utmost to bring about the anti-Japanese national united front based on Kuomintang-CCP cooperation. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War,[5]5 The Agrarian Revolutionary War (1927–1937) refers to the decade-long civil war between the CCP and the Kuomintang after the collapse of the First United Front, during which the CCP established rural base areas. the Kuomintang reactionaries brutally massacred Communists and revolutionary masses. However, for the sake of the 450 million compatriots from suffering the tragic fate of being enslaved, and for the preservation of the millennia-old civilization of the Chinese nation, the Chinese Communist Party set aside past grievances, undergoing a policy adjustment from “opposing Chiang and resisting Japan” to “forcing Chiang to resist Japan” and then to “allying with Chiang to resist Japan,” ultimately facilitating the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident, ending the ten-year civil war, and realizing renewed cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party. This became the pivot of the transformation of the situation. As Comrade Mao Zedong later pointed out, “If in the past there had not been the Chinese Communist Party, the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region sincerely coming out to advocate an end to the civil war and unite against Japan, then no one would have initiated the anti-Japanese national united front, no one would have led the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident, and then it would have been impossible to carry out the War of Resistance.” The establishment of the anti-Japanese national united front made hundreds of millions of Chinese people clearly see who was the most loyal and steadfast defender of the Chinese nation. Pointing to the national cause, the hearts of the people turned to the Chinese Communist Party, which enjoyed overwhelming popular support.

中国共产党以国家利益为重、民族大义为先，凭借巨大的政治勇气、智慧、定力，全力促成了以国共合作为基础的抗日民族统一战线。土地革命战争时期，国民党反动派对共产党人和革命群众进行了残酷屠杀。然而，为了四万万五千万同胞免遭亡国奴的悲惨命运，为了中华民族数千年文明薪火永存世上，中国共产党人不计前嫌，经历了由“反蒋抗日”到“逼蒋抗日”再到“联蒋抗日”的政策调整，最终促成西安事变的和平解决，结束十年内战，实现了国共再次合作。这成为时局转换的枢纽。正如后来毛泽东同志所指出的，“过去如果没有共产党、八路军、新四军和陕甘宁边区真心实意地出来主张停止内战一致抗日，那就无人发起抗日民族统一战线，无人领导和平解决西安事变，那就无从实行抗日”。抗日民族统一战线的建立，让亿万中国人民看清楚了谁才是中华民族最忠诚、最坚定的捍卫者。民族大义所指，天下民心所向，中国共产党众望所归。

Holding high the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front, the Chinese Communist Party resolutely safeguarded, consolidated, and developed the united front, adhered to independence and initiative while uniting in the resistance, and maintained the overall situation of unity in the resistance, being a well-deserved strong core of the united resistance. After the War of Resistance entered the stage of strategic stalemate,[6]6 The stage of strategic stalemate in the War of Resistance lasted roughly from late 1938 to 1944, after Japan’s initial advances had been checked but before the final Allied counteroffensive. the diehard Kuomintang clique became passive in resisting Japan and active in opposing the Communist Party, openly putting forward the reactionary policy of “dissolving the Communist Party,” “preventing the Communist Party,” “restricting the Communist Party,” and “opposing the Communist Party,” repeatedly creating bloody friction incidents, and launching three anti-Communist upsurges in succession. Particularly outrageous was the Southern Anhui Incident[7]7 The Southern Anhui Incident (January 1941) was a surprise attack by Kuomintang forces on the CCP’s New Fourth Army during its ordered relocation, killing thousands and severely damaging CCP-KMT relations. in early 1941, an “eternal injustice” created by the diehard Kuomintang clique, in which the blood of the officers and soldiers of the New Fourth Army stained the land of southern Anhui, bringing the anti-Japanese national united front to the brink of rupture. The Chinese Communist Party always prioritized the overall situation of the War of Resistance, with outstanding political leadership putting forward the three major political slogans of persisting in resistance and opposing capitulation, persisting in unity and opposing splitting, and persisting in progress and opposing regression, and establishing the strategic policy of “developing the progressive forces, winning over the middle forces, and isolating the diehard forces,” firmly grasping the leadership of the anti-Japanese national united front, and guiding the direction of China’s War of Resistance. This art of united front work, which highly integrated the firmness of principle with the flexibility of tactics, not only demonstrated the political wisdom of the Chinese Communists but also safeguarded the anti-Japanese national united front, the lifeblood of victory in the War of Resistance.

中国共产党高举抗日民族统一战线的旗帜，坚决维护、巩固、发展统一战线，坚持独立自主、团结抗战，维护了团结抗战大局，是当之无愧团结抗战的坚强核心。抗战进入战略相持阶段后，国民党顽固派消极抗日、积极反共，公然抛出“溶共”、“防共”、“限共”、“反共”的反动方针，接连制造流血摩擦事件，先后掀起三次反共高潮。尤其令人发指的是，1941年初国民党顽固派制造了皖南事变这一“千古奇冤”，致使新四军将士的鲜血染红了皖南大地，抗日民族统一战线濒临破裂。中国共产党始终以抗战大局为重，以卓越的政治领导力提出坚持抗战、反对投降，坚持团结、反对分裂，坚持进步、反对倒退三大政治口号，确立“发展进步势力，争取中间势力，孤立顽固势力”的策略方针，牢牢掌握抗日民族统一战线的领导权，指引了中国抗战的前进方向。这种将原则的坚定性与策略的灵活性高度结合的统战工作艺术，不仅彰显了中国共产党人的政治智慧，更守护了抗日民族统一战线这一抗战胜利的命脉。

The course of development of the anti-Japanese national united front teaches us that without the Chinese Communist Party, there would have been no anti-Japanese national united front; without the anti-Japanese national united front, there would have been no victory in the War of Resistance.

抗日民族统一战线的发展历程昭示我们，没有中国共产党，就没有抗日民族统一战线；没有抗日民族统一战线，就没有抗战的胜利。

II. The Anti-Japanese National United Front Laid a Solid Foundation of Strength for Victory in the War of Resistance

二、抗日民族统一战线筑牢了抗战胜利坚实的力量基础

Once the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front was raised, it demonstrated powerful cohesion and appeal, successfully fusing the will and actions of various political parties, ethnic groups, classes, strata, organizations, and overseas Chinese into one, and unleashing the infinite power latent in hundreds of millions of people, laying a solid foundation of strength for victory in the War of Resistance.

抗日民族统一战线这面旗帜一经树立，便展现出强大的凝聚力和感召力，成功将各党派、各民族、各阶级、各阶层、各团体以及海外华侨华人的意志和行动熔铸一体，并激发了蕴藏在亿万人民之中的无穷伟力，为抗战的胜利奠定了坚实的力量基础。

Under the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front, the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party, which had been locked in armed conflict, set aside their past differences and jointly built the Great Wall of steel against the Japanese aggressors. This was not simply a matter of joint resistance against Japan; it was a strategic situation in which the enemy-rear battlefield led by the Chinese Communist Party and the frontal battlefield commanded by the Kuomintang cooperated to jointly combat the Japanese aggressors. The Kuomintang army mounted large-scale blocking operations against the Japanese army on the frontal battlefield, successively fighting the Battle of Shanghai, the Battle of Taiyuan, the Battle of Xuzhou, the Battle of Wuhan, and others. The armed forces led by the Chinese Communist Party, without hesitation, advanced to the front line of the War of Resistance, actively engaged the Japanese, then went deep behind enemy lines to conduct guerrilla warfare, gradually opening up enemy-rear battlefields that operated independently. In September 1937, to cooperate with the defensive operations of the Kuomintang’s Second War Zone, the main force of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army skillfully used the terrain to set up an ambush, annihilating more than 1,000 Japanese troops and destroying more than 100 vehicles, winning the Battle of Pingxingguan,[8]8 The Battle of Pingxingguan (September 1937) was the first major victory of the Communist-led Eighth Route Army over the Japanese army, boosting national morale. shattering the myth of Japanese invincibility and greatly boosting the morale of the military and the people throughout the country. Then, the three divisions of the Eighth Route Army launched extensive attacks on the flanks and rear of the Japanese forces, destroying roads, cutting bridges, and harassing them, effectively tying down Japanese forces and buying precious time for the Kuomintang army. The mutual coordination between the frontal battlefield and the enemy-rear battlefield was a vivid manifestation of the anti-Japanese national united front in the military sphere. It crushed the Japanese plot to quickly end the war and conquer China, placed the aggressors in the strategic dilemma of fighting on two fronts and being attacked from front and rear, and created a wonder in the World Anti-Fascist War and even in the history of Chinese and foreign wars.

在抗日民族统一战线旗帜下，曾经兵戎相见的国共两党捐弃前嫌，共同筑起抗击日寇的钢铁长城。这并非简单的共同抗日，而是中国共产党领导开辟的敌后战场和国民党指挥的正面战场协力合作，形成了共同抗击日本侵略者的战略局面。国民党军队在正面战场大规模阻击日军，连续进行了淞沪、太原、徐州、武汉等会战；共产党领导的武装力量义无反顾挺进抗日前线，积极开展对日作战，继而深入敌后开展游击战争，逐步开辟了独当一面的敌后战场。1937年9月，为配合国民党第二战区的防御作战，八路军第115师主力巧妙利用地形设伏，一举歼灭日军1000余人，击毁汽车100余辆，取得平型关大捷，打破了日军“不可战胜”的神话，极大振奋了全国军民的士气。接着，八路军三个师在日军侧后广泛出击，破路、断桥、袭扰，有力牵制了日军兵力，为国民党军赢得了宝贵时间。正面战场和敌后战场相互配合，是抗日民族统一战线在军事领域的生动体现，它粉碎了日军速战速决灭亡中国的图谋，使侵略者陷入了两面作战、腹背受敌的战略困境，创造了世界反法西斯战争中乃至中外战争史上的奇观。

Under the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front, the patriotic fervor of middle-of-the-road forces such as the national bourgeoisie, enlightened gentry, and local power-holders was aroused as never before, and their political stance gradually shifted from wavering to firm resistance, gradually coalescing into an important force for national salvation and eventually merging into the current of the times of the entire nation’s united resistance. Industrialists such as Hu Juewen[9]9 Hu Juewen (1895–1989) was a Chinese industrialist and political figure; later served as vice chairman of the National People’s Congress. mobilized machine factories in Shanghai to overcome countless difficulties and move inland, rebuilding production in the rear areas and providing important supplies for the front line. Enlightened gentry such as Liu Shaobai[10]10 Liu Shaobai (1883–1947) was a Shanxi-based landowner and banker who actively supported the CCP’s anti-Japanese base areas. founded the Xingxian Peasants’ Bank, making positive contributions to developing the border region economy, solving military and civilian needs, and consolidating the anti-Japanese base areas. Local power-holders such as Deng Baoshan[11]11 Deng Baoshan (1894–1968) was a local military commander in the Northwest who maintained friendly relations with the CCP during the War of Resistance. both firmly resisted Japan to defend national dignity and upheld Kuomintang-CCP cooperation and supported the anti-Japanese national united front. Comrade Mao Zedong praised him, saying, “The virtue of supporting the northern front and protecting the border region is great, and I dare not forget it.” The anti-Japanese national united front successfully united political forces with different views, not only bringing about political cooperation but also strengthening national identity and forging an iron wall of common resistance against Japan.

在抗日民族统一战线旗帜下，民族资产阶级、开明绅士和地方实力派等中间势力的爱国热忱被空前激发，其政治立场从摇摆不定逐步转向坚定抗战，逐渐凝聚为民族救亡的重要力量，最终汇入全民族团结抗战的时代洪流。实业家胡厥文等动员上海机器工厂克服万难内迁，在后方重建生产，为抗战前线提供了物资供应的重要保障。开明绅士刘少白创办兴县农民银行，为发展根据地经济、解决军需民用、巩固抗日根据地作出了积极贡献。邓宝珊等地方实力派既坚决抗日、捍卫民族尊严，又坚持国共合作、拥护抗日民族统一战线，毛泽东同志盛赞其“支撑北线，保护边区，为德之大，更不敢忘”。抗日民族统一战线成功将不同主张的政治力量团结在一起，既促成了政治合作，又强化了国家认同，更铸就了共同抗战的铜墙铁壁。

Under the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front, the broad masses of the people united as one and sacrificed their personal interests for the sake of the nation, plunging the aggressors into the vast ocean of a people’s war. The anti-Japanese national united front transformed a purely military war of resistance into a war of the entire nation, making the War of Resistance a true people’s war. The renowned bridge engineer Mao Yisheng,[12]12 Mao Yisheng (1896–1989) was a renowned Chinese bridge engineer who built the Qiantang River Bridge and later destroyed it to delay the Japanese advance. to prevent the Japanese aggressors from advancing, had no choice but to personally and painfully blow up the Qiantang River Bridge, which he had built with painstaking effort, leaving behind the verse, “The broken country makes me cherish the landscape even more; I destroy the bridge to protect the rivers and mountains.” Writers and artists used their pens as guns and songs as bugle calls, creating outstanding works such as the “March of the Volunteers” and the “Yellow River Cantata,” which embodied the soul of the nation and forged a spiritual Great Wall supporting the backbone of the nation. The vast numbers of ethnic minority compatriots, together with Han compatriots, launched a vigorous movement for national salvation through resistance. Armed forces led by the Chinese Communist Party composed of various ethnic groups, such as the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, the Hui Detachment of Central Hebei, the Mongol Banner Independent Brigade, and the Hainan People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Independent Column, fought bravely and became heroic banners of the entire nation’s resistance. Religious leaders came forward to treat wounded soldiers and shelter refugees. Overseas Chinese always had their hearts in their homeland, sharing the fate of the motherland. More than 3,200 overseas Chinese mechanics from Nanyang (Southeast Asia) returned to China to serve on the Burma Road, known as the “Road of Death,” building a “supply line that never sinks” for the War of Resistance. With unprecedented breadth and depth, the anti-Japanese national united front thoroughly unleashed and gathered the infinite power latent in the people, creating a vivid patriotic tableau of close coordination between the front and rear areas, resonance between domestic and overseas compatriots, and hundreds of millions of people sharing the fate of the nation.

在抗日民族统一战线旗帜下，广大人民群众团结一心、毁家纾难，使侵略者陷入了人民战争的汪洋大海。抗日民族统一战线将单纯的军事抗战转变为全民族抗战，使抗日战争成为真正的人民战争。著名桥梁专家茅以升为了阻止日寇进军，忍痛亲手炸毁了自己呕心沥血建成的钱塘江大桥，并留下诗句“国破愈觉山河美，毁桥为的保江山”。广大文艺界人士以笔为枪，以歌为号，创作了《义勇军进行曲》、《黄河大合唱》等蕴含着民族魂魄的优秀作品，铸就了支撑民族脊梁的精神长城。广大少数民族同胞与汉族同胞一道开展了轰轰烈烈的抗日救亡运动，东北抗日联军、冀中回民支队、蒙旗独立旅、琼崖人民抗日游击独立纵队等共产党领导的各民族组成的抗日武装英勇善战，成为全民族抗战的英雄旗帜。广大宗教界人士挺身而出，救治伤兵，收容难民。海外华侨华人始终心系桑梓，与祖国同呼吸、共命运。3200余名南侨机工毅然回国，在被称为“死亡公路”的滇缅公路上，为抗战筑起一条“不沉的补给线”。抗日民族统一战线以前所未有的广度与深度，将蕴藏在人民群众中的无穷伟力彻底激发并汇聚起来，形成了一幅前后方军民紧密配合，国内外同胞遥相呼应，亿万民众共挽危亡的爱国主义生动画卷。

III. The Anti-Japanese National United Front Created a Favorable External Environment for Victory in the War of Resistance

三、抗日民族统一战线为抗战胜利营造了有利的外部环境

During the anti-fascist war, the Chinese Communist Party not only established a domestic anti-Japanese national united front that united the strength of the entire nation with a broad political vision, but also actively promoted the formation of an international anti-fascist united front with a sense of mission for the world, closely linking China’s national liberation cause with the cause of human justice. This not only secured a favorable external environment for China’s victory in the War of Resistance but also made an indelible historical contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

在反法西斯战争的过程中，中国共产党不仅以博大的政治胸襟，在国内建立起凝聚全民族力量的抗日民族统一战线，更以胸怀天下的使命担当，积极推动建立国际反法西斯统一战线，将中国的民族解放事业与人类正义事业紧密相连，既为中国抗日战争的胜利争取了有利的外部环境，又为世界反法西斯战争的胜利作出了不可磨灭的历史贡献。

On July 8, 2025, the themed exhibition “For National Liberation and World Peace,” held at the Museum of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, was opened to the public. The exhibition is divided into eight sections, displaying 1525 photographs and 3237 artifacts, comprehensively reviewing the war-torn and stirring years. The picture shows visitors viewing the themed exhibition on July 13. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Xiaogen.

2025年7月8日，在中国人民抗日战争纪念馆举办的《为了民族解放与世界和平》主题展览面向社会公众开放。展览分为八个部分，展出1525张照片、3237件文物，全面回顾抗战烽火、峥嵘岁月。图为7月13日，参观者在参观主题展览。 中新社发 陈晓根/摄

In the process of promoting the establishment of the anti-Japanese national united front, the Chinese Communist Party regarded the establishment of an international anti-Japanese united front as an inevitable option, seeing China’s War of Resistance and the world’s anti-fascist war as a whole, and, with its thoroughness in resisting Japan, led the formation of the united front. In July 1936, during an interview with Edgar Snow, Comrade Mao Zedong said: “Japanese imperialism is not only the enemy of China but also the enemy of the peoples of all countries who desire peace, especially the peoples of the countries that have interests in the Pacific, i.e., the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.” After the outbreak of the full-scale War of Resistance in July 1937, the Chinese Communist Party, to further expand the anti-Japanese united front and strengthen the forces to combat Japanese fascism, openly called for the establishment of an Eastern international anti-fascist united front. On June 22, 1941, the day after the outbreak of the German-Soviet war, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party clearly expressed support for the Soviet Union in its war against German fascist aggression, and again proposed bringing Britain and the United States into the international anti-fascist united front. In December of the same year, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party issued the “Declaration of the Chinese Communist Party on the Pacific War,” formally announcing to the world the Chinese Communist Party’s policy of establishing an anti-Japanese united front with Britain, the United States, and other countries, and pointing out: “All countries and all nations in the world are now ultimately and clearly divided into the fascist camp waging aggressive war and the anti-fascist camp waging war of liberation.” On January 1, 1942, China, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and 22 other countries signed the Declaration by United Nations, marking the formal formation of the international anti-fascist united front. This was not only an important milestone in international cooperation in the World Anti-Fascist War but also fundamentally changed the difficult situation of China fighting alone; China’s War of Resistance and the World Anti-Fascist War were from then on more closely linked and shared a common destiny.

在推动建立抗日民族统一战线的过程中，中国共产党把建立国际的抗日统一战线视为一个必然选项，将中国的抗日战争与世界人民的反法西斯战争视为一个整体，而且以其抗日的彻底性引领了统一战线的建立。1936年7月，毛泽东同志同斯诺谈话时指出：“日本帝国主义不仅是中国的敌人，同时也是要求和平的世界各国人民的敌人，特别是和太平洋有利害关系的各国即美、英、法、苏等国的人民的敌人。”1937年7月全面抗战爆发后，中国共产党为了进一步扩大抗日统一战线，增强抗击日本法西斯的力量，公开倡议建立东方国际反法西斯统一战线。1941年6月22日，苏德战争爆发的第二天，中共中央明确表示支持苏联反对德国法西斯侵略战争，同时再次提出争取英美加入国际反法西斯统一战线。同年12月，太平洋战争爆发后，中共中央通过《中国共产党为太平洋战争的宣言》，正式向全世界宣布中国共产党确立与英美等国建立反日统一战线的政策，并指出：“全世界一切国家一切民族划分为举行侵略战争的法西斯阵线与举行解放战争的反法西斯阵线，已经最后地明朗化了。”1942年1月1日，中、美、英、苏等26国签署《联合国家宣言》，标志着国际反法西斯统一战线正式形成。这不仅是世界反法西斯战争国际合作的重要里程碑，也从根本上改变了中国独立抗战的艰难处境，中国抗日战争与世界反法西斯战争从此更加紧密相连、命运与共。

The Chinese Communist Party also worked hard to promote the formation of a broad international anti-fascist united front among the peoples and proletariat of various countries. Comrade Mao Zedong once pointed out, “During this period, the general task of the revolution is to organize all possible forces in the world into an anti-fascist and anti-aggression united front in order to resist the mad aggression of the three fascist states and the fascist attacks within each country.” Under the initiative of the Chinese Communist Party, the call of the Communist International, and the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front, Communists and revolutionary patriots from many countries rushed to the anti-fascist battlefield. Doctors such as Norman Bethune and Dwarkanath Kotnis actively engaged in battlefield medical work in China, dedicating their blood and even their lives to the liberation cause of the Chinese people. Journalists such as Edgar Snow, Agnes Smedley, and Anna Louise Strong used their pens and cameras as weapons, reporting truthfully to the world the heroic deeds of the Chinese military and people in their united resistance against Japan, exposing the lies of Japanese fascism. Rewi Alley and others initiated the formation of the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives International Committee (Gung Ho), organizing rear-area production with the “work hard, work together” spirit, making important contributions to China’s War of Resistance. In addition, there were internationalist fighters such as the Japanese People’s Anti-War Alliance and the Korean Volunteer Army, who chose to stand with the Chinese people to jointly fight fascism. This precious support from the peoples of all countries ultimately converged into the great current of the Chinese nation’s War of Resistance, not only providing important support for winning the war but also building a majestic monument of human conscience and international justice.

中国共产党还努力促进各国人民和无产阶级结成广泛的国际反法西斯统一战线。毛泽东同志曾指出，“这一时期内，革命的总任务，是把全世界一切可能的力量都组织到反法西斯反侵略的统一战线内，用以抵抗三个法西斯国家的疯狂侵略与各国内部法西斯的袭击”。在中国共产党的倡导下，在共产国际的号召下，在抗日民族统一战线的旗帜下，许多国家的共产党人和革命志士，纷纷奔赴反法西斯战场。白求恩、柯棣华等医生积极投身中国战地救护工作，将热血乃至生命献给了中国人民的解放事业；斯诺、史沫特莱、斯特朗等记者以笔和镜头为武器，向世界真实报道了中国军民团结抗战的英勇事迹，戳穿了日本法西斯的谎言；路易·艾黎等发起成立工合国际，以“努力干，一起干”的工合精神组织后方生产，为中国抗战作出了重要贡献。此外，还有在华日人反战同盟、朝鲜义勇军等国际主义战士，他们选择与中国人民站在一起，共同抗击法西斯。这些来自世界各国人民的宝贵支持，最终汇入中华民族抗战的时代洪流，不仅为夺取抗战胜利提供了重要支撑，更铸就了一座彰显人类良知与国际正义的巍峨丰碑。

“Hardship and adversity have tempered and perfected us.” The anti-Japanese national united front was a great creation of the Chinese Communist Party, which, at the critical moment of national survival, united hundreds of millions of compatriots to stem the tide with great political wisdom and historical responsibility. This magnificent history teaches us: the fundamental reasons why the united front has been invincible lie in its consistent adherence to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, to the theme of great unity and great solidarity, to the policy of correctly handling the relationship between unity and diversity, and to correct work strategies and methods.

“艰难困苦，玉汝于成。”抗日民族统一战线是中国共产党在民族存亡的危急关头，以巨大的政治智慧和历史担当，团结亿万同胞挽狂澜于既倒的伟大创举。这段波澜壮阔的历史启示我们：统一战线之所以能够无往而不胜，根本在于始终坚持中国共产党的领导，坚持大团结大联合的主题，坚持正确处理一致性和多样性关系的方针，坚持正确工作策略和方法。

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that the united front is an important magic weapon for the Party to defeat enemies and govern the country, and an important magic weapon for uniting all Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; it must be upheld for the long term. On the new journey of the New Era, the risks and tests we face will only become more complex, and we will even encounter unimaginable storms and waves. Therefore, we must continuously develop and strengthen the patriotic united front of the New Era, maximize the gathering of the wisdom and strength of all Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad, unleash the centripetal force and creativity of the Chinese nation to the greatest extent, form a powerful joint force to jointly realize the Chinese Dream, and jointly write a new and magnificent chapter for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

习近平总书记强调，统一战线是党克敌制胜、执政兴国的重要法宝，是团结海内外全体中华儿女实现中华民族伟大复兴的重要法宝，必须长期坚持。新时代新征程，我们面临的风险考验只会越来越复杂，甚至会遇到难以想象的惊涛骇浪。为此，我们必须不断发展壮大新时代爱国统一战线，将海内外中华儿女的智慧和力量最大限度凝聚起来，将中华民族的向心力与创造力最大限度激发出来，形成同心共圆中国梦的强大合力，共同谱写中华民族伟大复兴新的壮美华章。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心