Keep the 'September 18 Incident' in mind, to better face the future

Editor's note: Bai Fan, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is an associate researcher at the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The September 18 Incident, plotted by Japanese troops, marked the beginning of Japan's imperialist conquering of China by force. It was also a landmark event in the 14-year Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Japan's war of aggression against China and other Asian countries caused a huge human rights disaster and committed a large number of crimes against humanity during the war, including the use of chemical weapons, forced labor, and the implementation of the comfort women system, among others.

In addition, the Japanese invasion brought immeasurable disasters and losses to China and other Asian countries. In China alone, there were over 35 million casualties, both military and civilian. China's direct economic losses exceeded $100 billion and its indirect economic losses totaled more than $500 billion, calculated at 1937 prices.

After 14 years of struggle, the Chinese people achieved victory in the war in 1945. However, during the Tokyo Trials led by Western powers, particularly the U.S., China's interests as a victorious nation were largely overlooked, and Japan's militarist crimes were not fully addressed. As the international landscape has evolved, the U.S. now views China as a strategic rival, resulting in the near abandonment of efforts to hold Japan accountable for its wartime atrocities.

Furthermore, Japan has not only followed this trend, but certain segments of its government, academia, education, and media have actively sought to distort history, downplaying Japan's wartime responsibilities and even portraying the country as a victim of the conflict.

As the greatest victim of Japanese militarism, the Chinese people cannot tolerate Japan's distortion of history. The pain inflicted by the September 18 Incident remains deeply ingrained in their memory. They are actively resisting Japan's attempts to erase its war crimes and remind the world that evil must never prevail over justice.

In the 2020s, we're facing a period of major change never seen in a century. Although peace and development remain the two major themes in today's world, we are at a time fraught with challenges and global security faces uncertainty.

For example, there is a fragile and unsteady global economic recovery and various emerging risks and crises; hot spot issues that affect geopolitical stability, and non-traditional security, terrorism, refugee crises, climate change, infectious diseases, etc., that show an increasingly uncertain worldsituation; a declined U.S. hegemony that still tries to maintain its influence through technological blockades, human rights intervention, trade wars, and cognitive warfare, causing global geopolitical instability.

In this context, the speculative mentality of the U.S. allies, whether voluntarily or forced, to "bet on China's loss and the U.S.'s win" is intensifying. As the most important strategic chess piece of the U.S. in East Asia, the Japanese government not only cooperates with the U.S. to strengthen the containment of China, but also tries to interfere in China's internal affairs when it comes to the Taiwan question.

The Japanese government should note that today's China is not the same one as of the early 20th century. China will not fall into the strategic trap set by the U.S., and Japan should not try to fish in troubled waters.

The world is once again at a crossroads. All countries should learn from history, join hands to overcome challenges, and build a peaceful and prosperous future. China, as the world's largest developing country, is committed to boosting solidarity and cooperation with other countries. As China grows and develops, it is increasingly becoming the cornerstone of maintaining international peace.

From the first half of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, China was one of the biggest victims of Western colonialism, and the Japanese invasion of China is something that the Chinese people will never forget. But while still remembering history, it is better to look forward to the future. China's development will not follow the old path of the West and Japan.

The Chinese recognized as early as 2,000 years ago that "though a country is now strong, bellicosity will lead to its ruin." Therefore, China will never fall into the trap of great power hegemony, but will be the most persistent force in promoting the building of a global community of shared future.

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