Some foreign leaders' absence 'understandable'

China welcomes all foreign leaders and representatives who plan to attend its V-Day celebrations on Sept 3, and fully respects other countries' decisions if they are unable to come, a senior historian said on Friday.

Wang Chaoguang, deputy director of the Institute of Modern History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, made the remark at a news conference dealing with the upcoming events.

"Before the end of World War II, the anti-fascist alliance - which included China, the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom - did play a central role in defeating the fascist forces and claiming the ultimate triumph in 1945," Wang said.

"But their partnership soon began to fall apart as the Cold War emerged in the late 1940s. It complicated the international situation in the years to come," he said. "It is thus understandable that some foreign leaders are choosing to skip Beijing's Sept 3 events, given their different concerns about the global situation".

Representatives of 49 countries and 30 foreign leaders, including President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea, have confirmed they will attend.

The role of the Chinese in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in World War II is not fully recognized in the West, said Li Xuetong, a research fellow at the institute. "We should conduct more academic exchanges with Western countries to let them know this forgotten part of history," Li said.

"As we have made clear many times, China's commemorative events are all about honoring the brave resistance led by its people seven decades ago and its contribution to world peace," Wang said. "Flexing its military muscles is never an option."

cuishoufeng@chinadaily.com.cn