The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Opened the Eastern Main Battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the great Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression opened the Eastern main battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War and made monumental contributions to saving the nation from peril, achieving national independence and the liberation of the people, and to the great cause of world peace. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began earliest and lasted the longest. The Chinese theater long pinned down and fought the main forces of Japanese militarism and played a decisive role in the final destruction of the Japanese aggressors.

2025年是中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年。习近平总书记指出，伟大的中国人民抗日战争，开辟了世界反法西斯战争的东方主战场，为挽救民族危亡、实现民族独立和人民解放，为争取世界和平的伟大事业，作出了彪炳史册的贡献。中国人民抗日战争开始时间最早、持续时间最长，中国战场长期牵制和抗击了日本军国主义的主要兵力，对日本侵略者的彻底覆灭起到了决定性作用。

The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began earliest and lasted the longest, and the Chinese people made tremendous sacrifices.

中国人民抗日战争开始时间最早、持续时间最长，中国人民付出巨大牺牲

Any exploration of historical issues must trace back to their origins and go over the past. The focus of the concept of the World Anti-Fascist War lies in the nature of the war being "anti-fascist." Any war that opposes fascist aggression falls within this scope. By this measure, regardless of size, any war with an anti-fascist character should be considered part of the World Anti-Fascist War. In this sense, it is not difficult to see that it was China that fired the first shot of the World Anti-Fascist War. In 1931, Japan deliberately created the September 18th Incident[1]1 The September 18th Incident (1931): Japan's staged explosion on a railway near Mukden (Shenyang) used as a pretext to invade Northeast China., armed aggression against Northeast China, tearing apart the fragile peace illusion of the Versailles system[2]2 The Versailles system: The post-World War I peace order established by the Treaty of Versailles, which Japan sought to overturn., forming a source of war in the East, and posing a serious threat to peace and stability in the Far East and the entire world. To resist the Japanese aggressors, the Communist Party of China, as the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, stepped forward and was the first to raise the banner of armed resistance. In an international environment where fascism was rampant and appeasement[3]3 Appeasement: The policy of making concessions to fascist aggressors, notably practiced by Britain and France in the 1930s. was prevalent, and when the world's major countries had long remained outside the anti-fascist struggle, the Chinese people, preferring death to enslavement, under the leadership of the CPC, rose up in resistance amidst the white mountains and black waters[4]4 "White mountains and black waters" (白山黑水): a classical Chinese four-character idiom referring to the Changbai Mountains and the Heilong River, metonymically used for Northeast China., marking the starting point of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and at the same time lifting the curtain on the World Anti-Fascist War, fully exposing the reactionary essence of fascist aggression, expansion, and sabotage of peace.

任何历史问题的探讨都要溯其源起、追及过往。世界反法西斯战争这一概念的侧重点在战争的性质是“反法西斯”。只要是反对法西斯侵略的战争，都属于这个范围。按照这一标准衡量，无论大战小战，只要具备反法西斯性质，都应该属于世界反法西斯战争的范畴。在此意义上，不难发现正是中国打响了世界反法西斯战争的第一枪。1931年，日本蓄意制造九一八事变，武装侵略中国东北，撕碎了凡尔赛体系脆弱的和平假象，在世界东方形成战争策源地，对远东乃至整个世界和平与稳定构成严重威胁。为抗击日本侵略者，中国共产党作为中国人民和中华民族的先锋队，挺身而出，率先举起武装抗日的旗帜。在当时法西斯肆虐、绥靖主义盛行的国际环境中，在世界主要国家长期置身于反法西斯斗争之外的情况下，誓死不当亡国奴的中国人民在中国共产党领导下于白山黑水间奋起抵抗，成为中国人民抗日战争的起点，同时揭开了世界反法西斯战争的序幕，使法西斯侵略扩张、破坏和平的反动本质暴露无遗。

In order to realize its ambition to swallow up China, then conquer Asia and contend for world hegemony, Japan, after full preparation and planning, provoked the Lugouqiao Incident[5]5 The Lugouqiao (Marco Polo Bridge) Incident of July 7, 1937, triggered the full-scale Sino-Japanese War. in 1937, launching a full-scale war of aggression against China, bringing the Chinese nation to the serious danger of national subjugation and genocide. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "After the July 7th Incident, resistance against aggression and national salvation became the common will and action of all political parties, all ethnic groups, all classes, all strata, all organizations, and overseas Chinese in China. China thus entered the stage of total national resistance and opened the Eastern main battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War." The full-scale outbreak of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a manifestation of the contradiction between fascism and anti-fascism beginning to rise as the world's principal contradiction, and it had an impact on the world that affected the overall situation and even changed the configuration. The Eastern main battlefield opened by the Chinese people was the world's first large-scale anti-fascist battlefield. Roosevelt stated: "The Chinese people were the first to stand up and fight the aggressors in this war." Stalin said: "The Chinese people made tremendous contributions in the anti-fascist war, and the Chinese theater was one of the important theaters for defeating Japanese fascism." In January 1942, 26 countries at war with the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, led by China, the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union (commonly known as the Allies), signed the Declaration by United Nations in Washington, marking the formal formation of the international anti-fascist alliance. From then on, the Chinese anti-Japanese battlefield was integrated with the World Anti-Fascist battlefield.

日本为实现吞并整个中国，继而征服亚洲、争霸世界的野心，经过充分准备和谋划后，于1937年又挑起卢沟桥事变，发动全面侵华战争，使中华民族面临亡国灭种的严重危险。习近平总书记指出，“七七事变后，抗击侵略、救亡图存成为中国各党派、各民族、各阶级、各阶层、各团体以及海外华侨华人的共同意志和行动，中国由此进入全民族抗战阶段，并开辟了世界反法西斯战争的东方主战场。”中国人民抗日战争的全面爆发，是法西斯与反法西斯的矛盾开始上升为世界主要矛盾的表现，它对世界产生了牵动全局乃至改变格局的影响。中国人民开辟的东方主战场，是世界第一个大规模反法西斯战场。罗斯福称：“中国人民在这次战争中是首先站起来同侵略者战斗的”。斯大林表示：“中国人民在反法西斯战争中作出了巨大贡献，中国战场是战胜日本法西斯的重要战场之一。”1942年1月，以中、美、英、苏四国为首的26个参加对德、意、日轴心国作战的国家（通称同盟国）在华盛顿签署《联合国家宣言》，标志着国际反法西斯联盟的正式形成。中国抗日战场自此与世界反法西斯战场融为一体。

From the September 18th Incident to the formal formation of the international anti-fascist united front, the anti-fascist war was a continuous process. In April 1945, Comrade Mao Zedong clearly pointed out at the Seventh National Congress of the CPC[6]6 The Seventh National Congress of the CPC (April–June 1945, Yan'an) adopted Mao Zedong Thought as the Party's guiding ideology.: "The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression developed along a tortuous path. This war began as early as 1931." Counting from the September 18th Incident in 1931, by the time Britain and France declared war on Germany in 1939 and the war broke out fully in Europe, China had already been resisting independently for eight years; by the outbreak of the Soviet-German War and the Pacific War in 1941, China's independent resistance had lasted for ten years.

从九一八事变至国际反法西斯统一战线正式形成，反法西斯战争是一个持续的过程。1945年4月，毛泽东同志在党的七大上明确指出：“中国人民的抗日战争，是在曲折的道路上发展起来的。这个战争，还是在一九三一年就开始了。”从1931年九一八事变算起，至1939年英、法对德宣战，战争在欧洲全面爆发，中国已经独立进行了8年抗战；到1941年苏德战争和太平洋战争爆发，中国独立抗战则已持续了10年之久。

Compared with other Allied countries, China's anti-fascist war not only began earliest but also lasted the longest, a full 14 years. The other Allied countries in World War II officially began their anti-fascist wars later than China and for shorter durations. In September 1939, Poland was invaded by Germany; in June 1940, the German army launched a general offensive against France, and Italy also declared war on France; in July 1940, Hitler ordered the execution of "Operation Sea Lion"[7]7 Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe): the Nazi German plan for the invasion of Britain, never executed. to invade Britain; in June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union; in December 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor[8]8 Pearl Harbor: the US naval base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, bringing the United States into World War II.. Compared with China, the other Allied countries were involved in the war for at most less than six years, and the United States for less than four years.

与同盟国其他国家相比，中国的反法西斯战争不但开始时间最早，持续时间也最长，持续了14年之久。二战其他同盟国正式开始反法西斯战争的时间都比中国要晚且持续时间短。1939年9月，波兰被德国入侵；1940年6月，德军对法国发动总攻，意大利也对法宣战；1940年7月，希特勒下令执行入侵英国的“海狮计划”；1941年6月，德国入侵苏联；1941年12月，日本袭击美国珍珠港。与中国相比，其他同盟国卷入战争的时间最长不到6年，美国则不到4年。

Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: The September 18th Incident "began the stage of turning China into a Japanese colony." The protracted war and the brutality of the Japanese army caused the Chinese people to pay enormous sacrifices. According to incomplete statistics, under the butcher's knife of the Japanese invading forces, Chinese military and civilian casualties numbered over 35 million, with the Nanjing Massacre[9]9 The Nanjing Massacre (December 1937–January 1938): mass murder and rape by the Imperial Japanese Army after capturing Nanjing. alone resulting in more than 300,000 deaths. Calculated at the 1937 exchange rate, the direct economic losses inflicted on China by the Japanese aggressors exceeded 100 billion US dollars, and indirect economic losses exceeded 500 billion US dollars. "The crimes committed by the Japanese aggressors against the Chinese people constitute the most barbaric and cruel page in history."

毛泽东同志指出：九一八事变，“开始了变中国为日本殖民地的阶段”。长期的战争和日军的残暴使中国人民付出了巨大牺牲。据不完全统计，在日本侵略军的屠刀下，中国军民死伤人数3500多万，仅南京大屠杀就死亡30万人以上。按1937年的比值折算，日本侵略者给中国造成的直接经济损失1000多亿美元，间接经济损失5000多亿美元。“日本侵略者对中国人民犯下的罪行，成为历史上最野蛮、最残酷的一页。”

The invincible strength, unyielding will, and brilliant achievements demonstrated by the Chinese military and civilians swept away the century-old image of China as weak and in decline. China's protracted resistance consumed Japan's main military strength and national power, thwarting its strategy of a "long war." Japanese historian Inoue Kiyoshi[10]10 Inoue Kiyoshi (1913–2001): a Japanese Marxist historian critical of Japanese militarism and imperialism. pointed out: "Japan was not only defeated by the United States in World War II, but even more miserably defeated by China. To put it precisely, it was defeated by the Chinese people."

中国军民表现出的不可征服的力量、不屈的意志以及辉煌的战绩，一扫百年来中国积弱不振的形象。中国持久抗战消耗了日本主要的军力和国力，挫败了其“长期战”战略。日本历史学家井上清指出：“日本在第二次世界大战中不仅败于美国，而且更惨地败给了中国。正确地说，败给了中国人民。”

The Chinese theater long pinned down and fought the main forces of Japanese militarism, effectively coordinating with and responding to the anti-fascist war on other theaters.

中国战场长期牵制和抗击了日本军国主义的主要兵力，有力配合和策应了其他战场的反法西斯战争

The Second World War was an aggressive war launched by the fascist bloc of Germany, Italy, and Japan for world hegemony. In the overall plan of Japanese militarist expansion and aggression, launching the war of aggression against China was an indispensable prerequisite and key. As early as the Meiji Restoration period[11]11 The Meiji Restoration (1868): the modernization and centralization of Japan under Emperor Meiji, which fostered militarist expansionism., Japan had already developed ambitions for external aggression. In 1927, Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi[12]12 Tanaka Giichi (1864–1929): Japanese Prime Minister and Army general, associated with the aggressive Tanaka Memorial. submitted a memorial to the Japanese Emperor stating: "To conquer China, we must first conquer Manchuria and Mongolia; to conquer the world, we must first conquer China." This document became known as the Tanaka Memorial[13]13 The Tanaka Memorial: a purported 1927 document outlining Japan's plan to conquer China and then the world; its authenticity is debated but it is widely cited as evidence of Japan's expansionist aims.. As historical development shows, Japanese militarism carried out its plans step by step. As Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out, Japan, "to attack the South Sea Islands in the south and Siberia in the north, adopted the strategy of breaking through in the center, first striking China."

第二次世界大战是德、意、日法西斯集团为称霸世界而发动的侵略战争。在日本军国主义侵略扩张的总构想中，发动侵华战争是必不可少的前提和关键。日本早在明治维新时代就产生了对外侵略的野心。1927年日本首相田中义一向日本天皇上了一份奏折称：“惟欲征服支那，必先征服满蒙；如欲征服世界，必先征服支那”。从历史的发展来看，日本军国主义就是这样一步步按照预定计划实行的。正如毛泽东同志指出的，日本“为了南攻南洋群岛，北攻西伯利亚起见，采取中间突破的方针，先打中国”。

The World Anti-Fascist War was a war of unprecedented scale in human history, with flames of war spreading across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania, involving more than 80 countries and regions and about 2 billion people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression strategically supported and assisted the Allied operations, coordinated with the strategic actions of the European and Pacific theaters, and constrained and disrupted the attempts at strategic coordination between Japanese fascism and German-Italian fascism.

世界反法西斯战争是人类历史上规模空前的战争，战火遍及亚洲、欧洲、非洲、大洋洲，有80多个国家和地区、约20亿人口卷入其中。习近平总书记指出，中国人民抗日战争在战略上策应和支持了盟国作战，配合了欧洲战场和太平洋战场的战略行动，制约和打乱了日本法西斯和德意法西斯战略配合的企图。

From the perspective of the Japanese fascist plan to conquer the world, both the "northward advance"[14]14 "Northward advance" (北進) and "southward advance" (南進): rival strategic doctrines in the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy respectively, concerning whether to attack the Soviet Union or move into Southeast Asia and the Pacific. and the "southward advance"[14]14 "Northward advance" (北進) and "southward advance" (南進): rival strategic doctrines in the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy respectively, concerning whether to attack the Soviet Union or move into Southeast Asia and the Pacific. took the occupation of China as a precondition. The Chinese theater pinned down and fought the vast majority of Japan's main army forces and part of its naval and air forces, firmly tying the hands and feet of the Japanese army. China's protracted resistance made it difficult for Japan to divert forces elsewhere for a long time. After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, Germany hoped that Japan would launch a war against the Soviet Union, coordinating with Germany to attack the Soviet Union from both east and west. However, Japanese Army Chief of Staff Sugiyama Hajime[15]15 Sugiyama Hajime (1880–1945): Japanese Field Marshal and Army Chief of Staff during much of the war. said: "The majority of Japan's forces are now being used in China," and a "northward advance" to open war against the Soviet Union "is practically impossible." On August 9, 1941, the Army Department of the Imperial General Headquarters decided: "Regardless of the evolution of the German-Soviet war, abandon the attempt to resolve the northern problem within Showa 16 (1941)." After learning this intelligence, the Soviet Union promptly boldly transferred large numbers of troops from the Far East to reinforce the Western Front against Germany. Due to the tenacious resistance of the Chinese people, Japan not only had no more forces to "northward advance" against the Soviet Union, but also repeatedly postponed its "southward advance" plan, thus strategically cooperating with and supporting the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War and also buying time for the United States, Britain and other countries to prepare for war against Japan. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor succeeded, they also successfully attacked the British fleet in the Indian Ocean, seemingly on the verge of seizing control of the Indian Ocean and linking up with Germany in the Middle East. Churchill cabled Roosevelt: "I must reiterate the serious situation in the Indian Ocean," "this would lead to the collapse of our entire Middle East situation," "the influence the Japanese army can exert is unbearable for us." But China's War of Resistance firmly pinned down the Japanese army's main force, forcing it to negate the arrogant plans of the Japanese navy, and thereby smashed the strategic scheme of a German-Japanese rendezvous in the Middle East.

从日本法西斯征服世界的计划来看，不管是“北进”还是“南进”，都以侵占中国为前提条件。而中国战场牵制和抗击了日本绝大部分陆军主力和部分海空军力量，牢牢捆住日军手脚，中国的持久抗战使日本长期难以分兵他顾。苏德战争爆发后，德国希望日本发动对苏战争，与德国配合从东西两面夹击苏联。但日本陆军参谋总长杉山元说：“日本的大部分兵力现在正用于中国”，“北进”对苏开战“实际上办不到”。1941年8月9日，日军大本营陆军部决定：“无论德苏战争如何演变，打消在昭和十六年（1941年）内解决北方问题的企图”。苏联获知这一情报后，随即大胆从远东地区调集大量兵力增援西线对德作战。由于中国人民的顽强抵抗，日本不但没有更多兵力“北进”苏联，并一再推迟“南进”计划，进而从战略上策应和配合了苏联的卫国战争，也为美、英等国争取了对日战争准备时间。日军偷袭珍珠港得手后，又在印度洋成功攻击英国舰队，大有夺取印度洋制海权、与德国在中东会师之势。丘吉尔致电罗斯福说：“我必须重提在印度洋的严重局势”，“这将导致我们整个中东局势的崩溃”，“日军所能施加的影响，是我们无法忍受的”。但中国抗日战争牢牢牵制了日本陆军主力，使其不得不否定了日军海军的狂妄计划，进而粉碎了日德在中东会师的战略图谋。

When China's War of Resistance faced the fall of large swaths of territory and was in an extremely difficult stalemate, China still resolutely sent elite troops to form the Expeditionary Force[16]16 The Chinese Expeditionary Force: Chinese troops sent to Burma (Myanmar) in 1942–45 to fight alongside the Allies against Japan., urgently deployed to Burma, to fight alongside the Allies against Japan. As an important strategic base for the Allied operations against Japan in the Asia-Pacific region, China provided airfields, ports, large quantities of strategic materials, and military intelligence to the Allied countries, supporting the anti-fascist struggle of the Allies with manpower, material, and financial resources. China's protracted resistance not only won precious strategic preparation time for the anti-fascist countries such as the Soviet Union, the United States, and Britain, but also played an important role in ensuring the implementation of the Allies' grand strategy of "Europe first, Asia second"[17]17 "Europe first, Asia second" (先欧后亚): the Allied strategic priority of defeating Nazi Germany before focusing on Japan.. In this regard, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out in 1939: "The great Chinese War of Resistance is not only a matter for China, not only a matter for the East, but also a matter for the world," "Our enemy is a worldwide enemy, and China's War of Resistance is a worldwide war of resistance." In December 1940, Roosevelt highly praised China's War of Resistance in his "Fireside Chat"[18]18 The Fireside Chat: series of informal radio addresses by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the American public.: "In Asia, another great defensive war being waged by the Chinese nation is holding back the Japanese," "Preventing the war-makers in Europe and Asia from gaining control of the oceans leading to this hemisphere is a matter of life and death for us." The United States repeatedly emphasized: China's resistance had the function of America's first line of defense, and China was naturally at the center of Pacific defense; if Japan won, it would destroy the entire Western position across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

在中国抗战面临大片国土沦陷、处于极为艰难的相持阶段，中国仍根据国际反法西斯同盟的战略需求，毅然派出精锐部队组成远征军，紧急开赴缅甸，与盟军共同对日作战。中国作为亚太地区盟军对日作战的重要战略基地，为盟国提供了机场、港湾以及大量的战略物资和军事情报，在人力、物力、财力上支援了同盟国的反法西斯斗争。中国的持久抗战不但为苏、美、英等反法西斯国家赢得了宝贵的战略准备时间，而且为保证同盟国实施“先欧后亚”大战略起了重要作用。对此，毛泽东同志在1939年就指出：“伟大的中国抗战，不但是中国的事，东方的事，也是世界的事”，“我们的敌人是世界性的敌人，中国的抗战是世界性的抗战”。1940年12月，罗斯福在“炉边谈话”中高度赞扬中国抗战：“在亚洲，中华民族进行的另一场伟大防御战争则在拖住日本人”，“不使欧洲和亚洲战争制造者得以控制通向本半球的海洋，乃是对我们最为生死攸关的问题”。美国一再强调：中国的抗日具有美国国防第一线的作用，中国理所当然地处于太平洋防务的中心点；如果日本获胜，那就会破坏西方横跨东南亚和太平洋的整个地位。

During the period of Japan's strategic offensive and China's strategic defense, the total forces deployed by both China and Japan reached over 4 million, the front line stretched more than 1,800 kilometers, the flames of war spread across more than 10 provinces and regions of China, the war zone covered an area of about 1.6 million square kilometers, and the population directly and indirectly involved in the war in China reached 400 million. The Chinese theater plunged Japanese fascism into the quagmire of a protracted war from which it could not extricate itself. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression not only achieved the salvation of the country and the nation but also powerfully supported the resistance forces in the European and Pacific theaters, making historic contributions to winning the World Anti-Fascist War.

在日本战略进攻、中国战略防御期间，中日双方投入总兵力达400多万人，战线长达1800多公里，战火遍及中国10多个省区，战区面积约160万平方公里，中国直接和间接卷入战争的人口达4亿之多。中国战场使日本法西斯陷入长期战争的泥潭而不能自拔。中国人民抗日战争不仅实现了国家和民族的救亡图存，而且有力支援了在欧洲和太平洋战场上的抵抗力量，为赢得世界反法西斯战争胜利作出了历史性贡献。

The Communist Party of China was the main pillar[19]19 "Main pillar" (中流砥柱): a four-character idiom originally referring to a rock in the Yellow River that withstands currents, metaphorically meaning a stabilizing force in a crisis. of the national War of Resistance, and the Chinese theater played a decisive role in the complete destruction of the Japanese aggressors.

中国共产党是全民族抗战的中流砥柱，中国战场对日本侵略者的彻底覆灭起到了决定性作用

Throughout the 14-year-long War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese people always held high the great banner of the anti-fascist struggle. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: The great victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression reestablished China's status as a major power in the world, won the respect of peace-loving people around the world for the Chinese people, and earned the Chinese nation a high national reputation! In the course of the World Anti-Fascist War, not all countries were able to persist in resistance to the end and win victory; in particular, some countries that were more powerful than China at the time were once defeated or surrendered. In contrast, although China was a weak semi-colonial and semi-feudal country, due to the pivotal role played by the Communist Party of China as the mainstay, the Chinese people, after enduring hardships, always held high the banner of the anti-fascist war and stood majestically in the East. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Our war is being carried out in a difficult environment. The insufficient national consciousness, national self-respect and self-confidence of the broad masses of the people, the lack of organization among most of the populace, the lack of firmness in military strength, economic backwardness, political non-democracy, the existence of corruption and pessimism, and the disunity and lack of consolidation within the united front—these constitute this difficult environment. Therefore, Communist Party members cannot but consciously shoulder the heavy responsibility of uniting the people of the whole country to overcome various undesirable phenomena." At the critical moment of national peril, the Communist Party of China's anti-Japanese banner was always the clearest, its anti-Japanese attitude always the most resolute, and its anti-Japanese actions always the most active.

在长达14年的抗日战争中，中国人民始终高举反法西斯斗争伟大旗帜。习近平总书记指出：中国人民抗日战争的伟大胜利，重新确立了中国在世界上的大国地位，中国人民赢得了世界爱好和平人民的尊敬，中华民族赢得了崇高的民族声誉！在世界反法西斯战争过程中，并非所有国家都能坚持抵抗到底赢得胜利，特别是有些比当时的中国国力强大的国家一度战败了或投降了。反观中国，虽然是一个半殖民地半封建弱国，但由于中国共产党所起的中流砥柱作用，中国人民历经艰难却始终高举反法西斯战争旗帜巍然屹立于世界东方。毛泽东同志指出：“我们的战争，是在困难环境之中进行的。广大人民群众的民族觉悟、民族自尊心和自信心的不足，大多数民众的无组织，军力的不坚强，经济的落后，政治的不民主，腐败现象和悲观情绪的存在，统一战线内部的不团结、不巩固等等，形成了这种困难环境。因此，共产党员不能不自觉地担负起团结全国人民克服各种不良现象的重大的责任。”在民族危亡的紧要关头，中国共产党的抗日旗帜始终是最鲜明的，抗日的态度始终是最坚决的，抗日的行动始终是最积极的。

After the September 18th Incident, on September 20, 1931, the Central Committee of the CPC issued the "Declaration of the Communist Party of China on the Violent Occupation of the Three Eastern Provinces by Japanese Imperialism." In April 1932, the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic[20]20 The Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic (1931–1937): the Communist-led state based in the Jiangxi Soviet, later relocated to Yan'an. issued the "Declaration of War Against Japan." The Communist Party of China, putting the nation's interests above all, made unremitting efforts to establish the Anti-Japanese National United Front, and dispatched Yang Jingyu[21]21 Yang Jingyu (1905–1940): Commander of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, captured and killed by Japanese forces., Zhao Shangzhi[22]22 Zhao Shangzhi (1908–1946): a CPC military commander in the Northeast resistance., Zhao Yiman[23]23 Zhao Yiman (1905–1936): a female CPC guerrilla leader captured and executed by the Japanese., Zhou Baozhong[24]24 Zhou Baozhong (1902–1964): a CPC general who commanded anti-Japanese forces in Northeast China., Feng Zhongyun[25]25 Feng Zhongyun (1908–1955): a CPC organizer of anti-Japanese resistance in the Northeast., and others to various parts of the Northeast to set up Party organizations, establish anti-Japanese armed forces, and mobilize the people to fight against the Japanese aggressors. The patriotic military and civilians of the Northeast dealt blows to the invading Japanese troops, and, before the July 7th Incident, patriotic armies in other regions launched the Battle of Shanghai (1932)[26]26 The Battle of Shanghai (1932): a short but intense clash between Chinese and Japanese forces in Shanghai, ending with a truce., the Great Wall Campaign (1933)[27]27 The Great Wall Campaign (1933): Chinese defensive battles against Japanese forces advancing south from Manchuria toward the Great Wall., the Chahar Campaign (1933)[28]28 The Chahar Campaign (1933): fighting in Chahar province between Chinese forces and the Japanese-backed Mongol army., and the Suiyuan Campaign (1936)[29]29 The Suiyuan Campaign (1936): a successful Chinese defense against a Japanese-encouraged Mongol invasion of Suiyuan province., which effectively drained the strategic resources of Japanese fascism and hit its aggressive ambitions and arrogance. Comrade Zhu De pointed out: The heroic resistance of the Northeast people made "the Japanese bandits, in order to maintain 'public order' in the Northeast," dispatch "a huge army, expend many effective forces and hundreds of millions of military expenditures each month."

九一八事变后，1931年9月20日，中共中央发表《中国共产党为日本帝国主义强暴占领东三省事件宣言》。1932年4月，中华苏维埃共和国临时中央政府发布《对日战争宣言》。中国共产党以民族大义为重，为建立抗日民族统一战线付出不懈努力，并派遣杨靖宇、赵尚志、赵一曼、周保中、冯仲云等人分赴东北各地建立党的组织、建立抗日武装，发动人民与日寇展开斗争。东北爱国军民对侵华日军的打击及七七事变前其他地区爱国军队发起的淞沪抗战、长城抗战、察哈尔抗战、绥远抗战等，有力消耗了日本法西斯的战略资源，打击了其侵华野心和嚣张气焰。朱德同志指出：东北人民的英勇抗战，使“日本强盗为了维持东北的‘治安’”，派出“极大的军队，耗费了许多有生力量和每月数万万的军费”。

After the July 7th Incident, Peiping and Tianjin were in danger, North China was in danger, the Chinese nation was in danger, and the Chinese nation had reached its most perilous time. Facing the aggressors, the Chinese Communists always fought bravely at the forefront of the War of Resistance, propping up the hope of national salvation and becoming the mainstay of the national War of Resistance. Under the advocacy and promotion of the Communist Party of China, in September 1937, the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party[30]30 The second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party: the wartime united front formed in 1937 after the Xi'an Incident, lasting until the end of the war. and the Anti-Japanese National United Front were formally formed, and the Chinese nation was unprecedentedly united under the great banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front. People of all ethnic groups, all classes, all political parties, all social organizations, patriotic personages from all walks of life, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese united as one and threw themselves into this great struggle concerning the survival of the nation. The Kuomintang-led frontal battlefield and the enemy rear battlefield opened by the people's anti-Japanese armed forces under the leadership of the Communist Party were relatively independent yet mutually coordinated, forming a situation of jointly confronting the enemy.

七七事变后，平津危急，华北危急，中华民族危急，中华民族到了最危险的时候。面对侵略者，中国共产党人始终勇敢战斗在抗日战争最前线，支撑起中华民族救亡图存的希望，成为全民族抗战的中流砥柱。在中国共产党倡导和推动下，1937年9月，国共两党第二次合作和抗日民族统一战线正式形成，中华民族空前地团结在抗日民族统一战线的伟大旗帜下。全国各民族、各阶级、各党派、各社会团体、各界爱国人士、港澳台同胞和海外侨胞团结一心，义无反顾投身到这场关系民族存亡的伟大斗争中。国民党指挥的正面战场与共产党领导的人民抗日武装开辟的敌后战场既相对独立又互相配合，形成共同对敌的态势。

The anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Communist Party of China adopted a path of first in the mountainous areas, then the plains, developing in a wave-like manner, creating anti-Japanese democratic base areas behind enemy lines, successively opening up the North China, Central China, and South China theaters. The formation of the enemy rear battlefield and the extensive development of people's war not only effectively coordinated with the frontal battlefield's operations against Japan, breaking the Japanese plot to "quickly defeat" China, but also posed a fatal threat to the Japanese rear. The opening of the enemy rear battlefield was one of the important reasons why the invading Japanese troops stopped their strategic offensive against China. After entering the strategic stalemate phase, the enemy rear battlefield gradually rose to become the main battlefield of China's War of Resistance, becoming the key factor in the shift of strength from the enemy's decline to our growth. By the strategic counteroffensive phase, the enemy rear battlefield became the forward position and strategic base for the general counteroffensive to strive for the final victory of the War of Resistance.

中国共产党领导的抗日武装，采取先山区、后平原，波浪式向前发展的途径，创建敌后抗日民主根据地，先后开辟了华北、华中和华南战场。敌后战场的形成和人民战争的广泛开展，不但有力配合了正面战场的对日作战，打破了日军“速战速决”灭亡中国的图谋，而且构成了对日军后方的致命威胁。敌后战场的开辟，是侵华日军对中国停止战略进攻的重要原因之一。进入战略相持阶段后，敌后战场逐步上升为中国抗战的主要战场，成为敌消我长力量变化的关键因素。到战略反攻阶段，敌后战场成为全面反攻、争取抗战最后胜利的前沿阵地和战略基地。

After 14 years of arduous and bloody struggle, the Chinese military and civilians eliminated more than 1.5 million Japanese troops. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression achieved a great victory, and also proclaimed the complete victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

经过长达14年艰苦卓绝的浴血奋战，中国军民共歼灭日军150多万人。中国人民抗日战争取得了伟大胜利，也宣告了世界反法西斯战争的完全胜利。

The Chinese anti-Japanese battlefield had characteristics fundamentally different from the Western theaters. Without understanding these characteristics, evaluating the Chinese theater solely by the standards of Western theaters would inevitably lead to error. Comrade Mao Zedong incisively pointed out: "The Sino-Japanese War is not any other war; it is a war of life and death between semi-colonial and semi-feudal China and imperialist Japan in the 1930s. The basis of the whole problem lies here." This characteristic of the Sino-Japanese War determined the features of the Chinese theater: it was a battlefield of immense scale and protracted duration. Because the Sino-Japanese War was a war between a weak country and a strong country, between a large country and a small country, it was not like the Western theaters where the outcome was decided by major campaigns; rather, it was a war of enormous attrition of manpower and material resources. To belittle the role of the Chinese anti-Japanese battlefield on the grounds that it lacked the major campaigns of the Western theaters would undoubtedly be shallow. As Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out in "On Protracted War"[31]31 "On Protracted War" (论持久战): a series of speeches by Mao Zedong in 1938 analyzing the nature and strategy of the Sino-Japanese War., Japan's weaknesses lay in its "small territory, few resources, small population, and few soldiers" and its being "a small country, a reactionary country, and a country with few allies." Therefore, Japan's national power could not withstand prolonged war attrition. Based on this, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out, "For every enemy soldier the guerrillas kill, every enemy bullet they consume, and every enemy soldier they pin down," "it adds a bit of strength to the entire War of Resistance. As for the unfavorable spiritual impact on the entire enemy army and enemy country and the favorable spiritual impact on our entire army and people, that is also obvious." Throughout the Chinese theater, the number of Japanese deserters increased year by year. Japanese war historians also believed that, at least by 1943, the Japanese invading forces in China encountered intractable problems such as a decline in troop quality and difficulties in supplying weapons and equipment. With the joint efforts of the international anti-fascist alliance, especially through the Chinese people's more than a decade of struggle against Japan, Japanese fascism was on the verge of collapse by 1945. On June 8, 1945, the Japanese Imperial Conference[32]32 The Imperial Conference (御前会议): a formal advisory meeting attended by the Japanese Emperor, cabinet members, and military leaders to ratify major state decisions. discussed "the current state of national power" and concluded: "The replenishment of material national power is in an extremely difficult situation."

中国抗日战场与西方战场有着迥然不同的特点，如果不了解这些特点，单以西方战场的特点来衡量、评价中国战场，必然陷入歧途。毛泽东同志曾精辟指出：“中日战争不是任何别的战争，乃是半殖民地半封建的中国和帝国主义的日本之间在二十世纪三十年代进行的一个决死的战争。全部问题的根据就在这里。”中日战争这一特性决定了中国战场的特点：它是一个规模巨大、旷日持久的战场。因为中日战争是弱国与强国、大国与小国的战争，因此它不是像西方战场那样由重大战役决定战争的胜负，而是一场人力、物力的巨大消耗性战争。如果以中国战场没有西方战场那样的重大战役来贬低中国抗日战场的作用，无疑是浅薄的。正如毛泽东同志在《论持久战》中指出的，日本的弱点在于其“地小、物少、人少、兵少”和“小国、退步、寡助”。因此，日本的国力经不起长期的战争消耗。据此，毛泽东同志指出，“游击队多打死一个敌兵，多消耗一个敌弹，多钳制一个敌兵”，“就算对整个抗战增加了一分力量。至其给予整个敌军敌国以精神上的不利影响，给予整个我军和人民以精神上的良好影响，也是显而易见的。”从整个中国战场来看，日军逃兵人数呈逐年增加的趋势。日本方面的战史研究人员也认为，最起码到1943年时，侵华日军遇到兵源素质下降、武器装备供给困难等难以解决的问题。在国际反法西斯同盟共同努力下，尤其是中国人民通过长达十几年的对日较量，使日本法西斯到1945年时已处在崩溃边缘。1945年6月8日，日本御前会议讨论“国力之现状”，认为：“物资国力之补充处于极端困难境界”。

After Japan's defeat, 1.28 million Japanese troops successively surrendered to China, accounting for more than half of the total Japanese troops surrendering overseas. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out at the Seventh National Congress of the CPC in 1945: "The vast numbers of officers and soldiers of the Chinese army bled and fought at the front; the Chinese workers, peasants, intellectuals, and industrialists worked hard at the rear; overseas Chinese contributed money to aid the war; all anti-Japanese political parties, except for those anti-people elements, all did their part for the war." The Chinese people, with their tenacious struggle and tremendous sacrifices, made a decisive contribution to defeating the Japanese aggressors.

日本战败后，128万日军陆续向中国投降，占日军海外投降总兵力一半以上。毛泽东同志1945年在党的七大上指出：“中国军队的广大官兵，在前线流血战斗，中国的工人、农民、知识界、产业界，在后方努力工作，海外华侨输财助战，一切抗日政党，除了那些反人民分子外，都对战争有所尽力。”中国人民用自己的顽强奋斗和巨大牺牲，为打败日本侵略者作出了决定性贡献。

The final victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the complete destruction of the Japanese aggressors inspired the confidence and courage of the colonized and semi-colonized countries suffering from aggression and oppression to strive for national independence and people's liberation. It had a great impact on the people of all countries in achieving victory in the anti-fascist war and upholding the great cause of world peace. It significantly raised China's international status and influence, won the respect of peace-loving people around the world for the Chinese people, and earned the Chinese nation a high national reputation.

中国人民抗日战争的最终胜利和日本侵略者的彻底覆灭，鼓舞了世界上遭受侵略和压迫的殖民地半殖民地国家争取民族独立和人民解放的信心与勇气，对世界各国人民夺取反法西斯战争的胜利、维护世界和平的伟大事业产生了巨大影响，显著提高了中国的国际地位和国际影响，使中国人民赢得了世界爱好和平人民的尊敬，中华民族赢得了崇高的民族声誉。

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the great victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression will forever be inscribed in the annals of the Chinese nation! Forever be inscribed in the annals of the cause of human justice! Through bloody struggle and practical contributions, China's international status was unprecedentedly elevated, and it made important contributions to the post-war international order built with the United Nations at its core and based on international law. This order has been universally recognized by countries around the world and has played an important role in maintaining post-war world peace and stability. Upholding a correct view of the history of World War II, resolutely defending the post-war international order, and firmly safeguarding international fairness and justice are the common aspirations of all peace-loving and justice-loving people. Any schemes that distort the truth of World War II history, deny the achievements of the World War II victory, or smear China's historical contributions will not succeed! The people of all countries will surely choose to stand on the correct side of history and the side of fairness and justice, resolutely oppose all forms of hegemonism and power politics, firmly act as guardians of historical memory, companions in development and rejuvenation, and defenders of international fairness and justice, and join hands to create an even brighter future for humanity.

习近平总书记指出，中国人民抗日战争的伟大胜利，将永远铭刻在中华民族史册上！永远铭刻在人类正义事业史册上！通过浴血奋战和实际贡献，中国的国际地位空前提高，并为战后构建的以联合国为核心、国际法为基础的国际秩序作出了重要贡献。这一秩序获得世界各国普遍认可，对维系战后世界和平稳定发挥了重要作用。坚持正确二战史观、坚决维护战后国际秩序、坚定捍卫国际公平正义是全世界爱好和平爱好正义人士的共同心声，一切歪曲二战历史真相、否定二战胜利成果、抹黑中国历史功绩的图谋都不会得逞！世界各国人民一定会选择站在历史正确一边、站在公平正义一边，坚决反对一切形式的霸权主义和强权政治，坚定做历史记忆的守护者、发展振兴的同行者、国际公平正义的捍卫者，携手共创人类更加美好的未来。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心