China urged the Japanese side to face up to and reflect on its history of invasion on Thursday, which marks the 85th anniversary of the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of China.

In the July 7 Incident, Japanese soldiers attacked Chinese forces at the Lugou Bridge, southwest of Peiping (today's Beijing) on July 7, 1937, marking the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of China and China's nationwide resistance against the invaders.

At a regular press briefing in Beijing, Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said China's victory in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression was part of the victory in the world anti-fascist war, which belongs to the people of the world as well as the Chinese people.

China has always developed China-Japan relations in the spirit of "learning from history and facing the future," Zhao said.

"I hope that the Japanese side will honestly face up to and reflect on the history of aggression, learn a profound lesson and take concrete actions to adhere to peaceful development."

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July 7 Incident 85 years on: Is Japan getting bellicose again?

(Cover: File of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)