The Chinese Communist Party Was the Mainstay of the Entire Nation’s War of Resistance

The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the longest, largest-scale, and most costly national liberation struggle waged by the Chinese people against foreign invasion in modern times, and it was also the first to achieve complete victory. The victory of the War of Resistance was a historical turning point for the Chinese nation as it moved from the deep crisis of modern times toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and it was also an important component of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. It was a victory for the Chinese people and a victory for the people of the world. In this great struggle, the Chinese Communist Party fought bravely on the front line, sustaining the hope of the Chinese nation for national salvation and survival, and became the mainstay of the entire nation’s War of Resistance.

中国人民抗日战争是近代以来中国人民反抗外敌入侵持续时间最长、规模最大、牺牲最多，并且是第一次取得完全胜利的民族解放斗争。抗日战争的胜利是中华民族从近代以来陷入深重危机走向伟大复兴的历史转折点，也是世界反法西斯战争胜利的重要组成部分，是中国人民的胜利，也是世界人民的胜利。在这场伟大斗争中，中国共产党勇敢战斗在最前线，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。

The Chinese Communist Party Became the Vanguard of the Entire Nation’s War of Resistance

中国共产党成为全民族抗战先锋

On September 18, 1931, Japanese imperialism created the September 18th Incident [1]1 The September 18th Incident: On September 18, 1931, Japanese troops staged a false flag attack on a railway near Mukden (now Shenyang) and used it as a pretext to invade and occupy all, which shocked China and the world. The Kuomintang implemented a policy of “non-resistance,” and the Northeast quickly fell. The Chinese Communist Party stepped forward, taking the lead in issuing a declaration of war of resistance and becoming the vanguard of the national War of Resistance. The day after the September 18th Incident, the Manchuria Provincial Committee of the CCP issued the “Manchuria Provincial Committee of the CCP Declaration on the Armed Occupation of Manchuria by Japanese Imperialism.” On September 20, the Central Committee of the CCP published the “Declaration of the CCP on the Violent Occupation of the Three Eastern Provinces by Japanese Imperialism,” calling on the entire Chinese people to mobilize and arm themselves quickly to resist the aggression of Japanese imperialism. On April 15, 1932, Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, issued the “Declaration of War Against Japan,” formally declaring war on Japanese imperialism and proposing to drive Japanese imperialism out of China through a national revolutionary war.

1931年9月18日，日本帝国主义制造了震惊中外的九一八事变，国民党实行“不抵抗”政策，东北迅速沦亡。中国共产党挺身而出，率先发出抗战宣言，成为民族抗战先锋。九一八事变爆发次日，中共满洲省委发出了《中共满洲省委为日本帝国主义武装占领满洲宣言》。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》，号召全中国人民迅速动员武装起来，反抗日本帝国主义的侵略。1932年4月15日，中华苏维埃共和国临时中央政府主席毛泽东发布《对日战争宣言》，正式对日本帝国主义宣战，提出以民族革命战争将日本帝国主义驱逐出中国。

The correct propositions and heroic actions of the Chinese Communist Party led and promoted the rise and development of the national War of Resistance. At the critical juncture of national peril, the CCP’s anti-Japanese banner was always the clearest, its anti-Japanese attitude was always the most resolute, and its anti-Japanese actions were always the most active, carrying out an unremitting struggle for national independence and the liberation of the people. The September 18th Incident was the starting point of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and also lifted the curtain on the World Anti-Fascist War.

中国共产党的正确主张和英勇行动，领导和推动了全国抗战的兴起和发展。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，抗日态度始终是最坚决的，抗日行动始终是最积极的，为争取民族独立和人民解放进行了不懈斗争。九一八事变是中国人民抗日战争的起点，也揭开了世界反法西斯战争的序幕。

The Chinese Communist Party Pointed the Way to Victory

中国共产党指引胜利方向

The War of Resistance was a national liberation struggle concerning the life and death of the Chinese nation. A national liberation struggle required a total mobilization of the entire nation and the formation of a national anti-Japanese united front. The Chinese Communist Party, conforming to the historical trend, consciously undertook the historical responsibility of establishing and leading the anti-Japanese national united front.

抗日战争是一场关系中华民族生死存亡的民族解放战争。民族解放战争必须进行全民族总动员，必须结成全民族的抗日统一战线。中国共产党顺应历史大势，自觉承担起建立并领导抗日民族统一战线的历史重任。

In 1933, the Chinese Communist Party issued the “January 26 Directive Letter” [2] to save the nation from peril, creatively proposing for the first time the strategy of forming a pan-national anti-Japanese united front in the Northeast. In 1935, the CCP issued the famous “August First Declaration” [3], clearly proposing the establishment of an anti-Japanese national united front. At the end of the same year, the Wayaobu Conference [4] further clarified the basic strategy for establishing an anti-Japanese national united front. In 1936, the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident [5] promoted the establishment of the anti-Japanese national united front. After the outbreak of the July 7th Incident [6], the CCP called on the entire nation to build a solid Great Wall of the national united front to resist Japanese aggression. On September 22, 1937, the Central News Agency of the Kuomintang published the “Declaration of the Central Committee of the CCP on the Publication of Cooperation Between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.” The next day, Chiang Kai-shek delivered a speech on Lushan Mountain. Based on the second Kuomintang-Communist cooperation, the anti-Japanese national united front, which included people of all ethnic groups across the country, all democratic parties, all patriotic armies, patriotic figures from all strata, and overseas Chinese, was finally established.

1933年，中国共产党为挽救民族危亡发出“一·二六”指示信，首次创造性地提出在东北组建全民族反日统一战线的策略。1935年，中国共产党发出著名的《八一宣言》，鲜明地提出建立抗日民族统一战线的主张。同年底，瓦窑堡会议进一步明确了建立抗日民族统一战线的基本策略。1936年，西安事变的和平解决推动建立了抗日民族统一战线。七七事变爆发后，中国共产党号召全国人民筑成民族统一战线的坚固长城，抵抗日本侵略。1937年9月22日，国民党中央通讯社发表《中共中央为公布国共合作宣言》，次日蒋介石在庐山发表谈话，以第二次国共合作为基础，包括全国各族人民、各民主党派、各爱国军队、各阶层爱国人士以及海外华侨华人在内的抗日民族统一战线终于建立起来了。

While actively advocating for the establishment of the Chinese anti-Japanese national united front, the Chinese Communist Party also proposed the establishment of an international anti-fascist united front. As early as 1937, members of the CCP proposed the idea of establishing a Pacific united front among China, Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union. In 1941, the CCP issued the “Declaration of the CCP on the Pacific War,” formally announcing to the world that the CCP had established a policy of an anti-Japanese united front with Britain and the United States. As Mao Zedong pointed out in the preface to the English translation of “On Protracted War,” “The great Chinese War of Resistance is not only China’s affair, nor only an Eastern affair, but a world affair… Our enemy is a world enemy, and China’s War of Resistance is a world war of resistance.” In January 1942, China, the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, and 22 other countries signed the “Declaration by United Nations,” formally forming the international anti-fascist united front. The China theater, as the main Eastern battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War, made significant contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, to saving human civilization, and to defending world peace, at the cost of enormous national sacrifice by the Chinese people.

中国共产党在积极倡导建立中国抗日民族统一战线的同时，提出建立国际反法西斯统一战线。早在1937年，中国共产党人就提出中、英、美、法、苏五国建立太平洋联合战线的主张，1941年发出《中国共产党为太平洋战争的宣言》，正式向世界宣布中国共产党确立与英美等国建立反日统一战线政策。正如毛泽东在《论持久战》英译本序言中所指出的，“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”。1942年1月，中、美、苏、英等26个国家签署《联合国家宣言》，正式形成国际反法西斯统一战线。中国战场作为世界反法西斯战争的东方主战场，中国人民以巨大的民族牺牲，为取得世界反法西斯战争的胜利，为拯救人类文明、保卫世界和平作出了重大贡献。

Throughout the difficult course of the entire War of Resistance, the Chinese Communist Party held high the banners of persisting in the War of Resistance and opposing capitulation, persisting in unity and opposing splits, and persisting in progress and opposing retrogression. It developed progressive forces, won over intermediate forces, and isolated diehard forces, consolidating and expanding the anti-Japanese national united front, effectively curbing the development of forces of compromise and capitulation, and promoting the War of Resistance to the end.

在整个抗日战争的艰难进程中，中国共产党高举坚持抗战、反对投降，坚持团结、反对分裂，坚持进步、反对倒退的旗帜，发展进步势力、争取中间势力、孤立顽固势力，巩固、扩大抗日民族统一战线，有效遏制妥协投降势力的发展，推动抗战到底。

The mainstay role of the Chinese Communist Party in the entire nation’s War of Resistance was not only reflected in its advocacy for the establishment of a comprehensive line of resistance but also in its proposal and implementation of the general strategic policy of protracted war and the independent guerrilla warfare strategy and tactics. For example, Mao Zedong successively published a series of important works such as “On Protracted War” and “Problems of Strategy in Guerrilla War Against Japan,” accurately predicting the three stages and developmental forms of the comprehensive War of Resistance. He proposed the strategic policy of conducting protracted interior-line defensive warfare under conditions of enemy strength and our weakness, focusing on guerrilla warfare without abandoning opportunities for mobile warfare under favorable conditions. This timely and scientifically answered major questions such as “How will the war develop?”, “Can China win?”, and “How can victory be achieved?”, providing a scientific guide for achieving victory in the War of Resistance.

中国共产党在全民族抗战中的中流砥柱作用，不仅体现在其倡导全面抗战路线的建立，也体现在提出实施了持久战的战略总方针和独立自主游击战的战略战术。如毛泽东相继发表《论持久战》和《抗日游击战争的战略问题》等一系列重要著作，准确预见了全面抗战的三个阶段和发展形态，提出敌强我弱条件下进行内线持久防御、以游击战为主、不放弃有利条件下的运动战的战略方针，及时、科学地回答了“战争会怎样发展下去？”“中国能够胜利吗？”“怎样才能取得胜利？”等重大问题，为夺取抗战胜利提供了科学指南。

The Chinese Communist Party Made Tremendous Sacrifices and Contributions

中国共产党作出巨大牺牲与贡献

The mainstay role of the Chinese Communist Party in the entire nation’s War of Resistance was reflected in its extensive establishment of anti-Japanese base areas, leading and opening up vast enemy rear battlefields, and making tremendous contributions to the victory of the War of Resistance.

中国共产党在全民族抗战中的中流砥柱作用，体现为其广泛建立抗日根据地，领导和开辟广阔的敌后战场，为抗战胜利作出了巨大贡献。

After the fall of Guangzhou and Wuhan in October 1938, the War of Resistance transitioned from the strategic defensive phase to the strategic stalemate phase. The anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare led by the Chinese Communist Party spread widely, and the anti-Japanese base areas continuously expanded, forming a strategic encirclement of the cities and communication lines occupied by the Japanese army. In December 1938, the Japanese Emperor issued “Continental Order No. 241,” instructing the Japanese invading forces in China to use their main forces to attack the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and the anti-Japanese base areas in the enemy rear. From then on, the anti-Japanese base areas led by the Chinese Communist Party pinned down and attacked more than two-thirds of the Japanese invading forces on the front lines. The war situation of the War of Resistance underwent a fundamental change: the regular warfare dominated by the Kuomintang army receded to a secondary position, while the enemy rear guerrilla warfare dominated by the CCP’s anti-Japanese armed forces took the leading role. Until the victory of the War of Resistance, the anti-Japanese base areas were always the main battlefield of China’s War of Resistance, and the anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Chinese Communist Party were always the backbone of the resistance.

1938年10月，广州、武汉失守后，抗日战争由战略防御阶段进入战略相持阶段。中国共产党领导的抗日游击战争普遍展开，抗日根据地不断扩大，在战略上形成对日军占领的城市和交通线的反包围态势。1938年12月，日本天皇发布《大陆命令第241号》，指令侵华日军以主要兵力进攻八路军、新四军和敌后抗日根据地。从此，中国共产党领导的抗日根据地正面牵制和打击了侵华日军三分之二以上兵力，抗日战争的战局发生根本性变化：以国民党军队为主体的正规战争退居次要地位，以中国共产党抗日武装为主体的敌后游击战争处于主导地位。直到抗战胜利，抗日根据地始终是中国抗日战争的主战场，中国共产党领导的抗日武装始终是抗日的中坚力量。

From November 1938 to the end of 1940, the enemy rear battlefield in North China pinned down over 500,000 Japanese troops. In 1942, the enemy rear battlefields in North China and Central China pinned down over 550,000 Japanese troops. During the War of Resistance, the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and other anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Chinese Communist Party fought over 125,000 engagements with the Japanese, annihilating 1.714 million puppet troops and Japanese troops, including over 527,000 Japanese troops, making a decisive contribution to the victory of the War of Resistance. By the spring of 1945, the 19 anti-Japanese base areas led by the Chinese Communist Party had spread across the country, covering a total area of approximately 950,000 square kilometers with a population of nearly 100 million. The people’s army led by the Chinese Communist Party had grown to over 1.2 million troops, with 2.6 million militia, becoming the main force of the strategic counteroffensive.

从1938年11月到1940年底，华北敌后战场牵制了日军50万以上的兵力。1942年，华北、华中敌后战场牵制了日军55万余人。抗日战争中，中国共产党领导的八路军、新四军和其他抗日武装对日作战12.5万余次，消灭日伪军171.4万人，其中日军52.7万多人，为抗战的胜利作出了决定性贡献。1945年春，中国共产党领导的19个抗日根据地已遍及大江南北，总面积约95万平方公里，人口近1亿。中国共产党领导的人民军队发展到120万余人，民兵260万，成为战略反攻的主要力量。

In this war, the Chinese Communist Party played the role of mainstay, uniting and leading the Chinese people to forge the great spirit of the War of Resistance. On the new journey of the New Era, the entire Party, the entire military, and the people of all ethnic groups across the country should inherit and carry forward the great spirit of the War of Resistance, strive with determination and march forward courageously, and unite and struggle to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization!

在这场战争中，中国共产党发挥中流砥柱作用，团结带领中国人民铸就了伟大抗战精神。新时代新征程，全党全国各族人民要传承和弘扬伟大抗战精神，踔厉奋发、勇毅前行，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业而团结奋斗！

(The author is a professor at the School of Marxism, Jilin University)

（作者系吉林大学马克思主义学院教授）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心