Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, on Thursday called for global unity, a firm stance against historical revisionism, and stronger China-Nigeria ties at a symposium marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
‘This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the restoration of the Taiwan region.
‘At this historic moment, today’s symposium offers us an opportunity to reflect on the past, honour our heroes, and reaffirm our commitment to peace and a shared future’, Dunhai said at the event hosted at the Chinese Embassy in Abuja.
Dunhai recounted the beginning of the Chinese resistance with the September 18 incident of 1931 and the 14-year struggle that followed.
‘The Chinese people defeated the brutal Japanese militarist invaders and won a great victory in defending the nation. It was through the tremendous sacrifices of the Chinese people, who fought to the end on the Eastern battlefield, that led to the ultimate victory’, he said.
The envoy acknowledged Nigerian soldiers who fought in British Burma during the war, recognising their role in the broader Allied effort. ‘They, too, played a unique role in our shared fight for the victory’, he noted.
Dunhai credited the Communist Party of China with leading the resistance. ‘It was the CPC that first raised the banner of armed resistance and formed the Anti-Japanese National United Front’, he said.
He cautioned against historical distortion. ‘We have a duty to confront any attempt to distort the truth of WWII, deny its outcome, or belittle China’s contribution.
‘To truly honour this great victory, the way forward is to uphold a correct historical perspective on WWII and reject all forms of historical nihilism’, the ambassador noted.
Dunhai also addressed Taiwan’s status, calling its return to China a key outcome of the post-war order.
‘No matter how the situation in the Taiwan region evolves or what disruptions external forces may create, the historical trend toward China’s complete reunification is unstoppable’, he said.
He praised Nigeria for reaffirming its support for the One-China principle and called for deeper bilateral cooperation.
‘Our comprehensive strategic partnership has grown beyond bilateral scope and now carries significant global significance.
‘Let’s work together to safeguard the outcomes of the WWII victory, uphold international fairness, justice, and order’, the ambassador stated.
Also speaking at the event, the Director of the Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju, highlighted the devastating impact of the war, particularly the atrocities committed during the Nanjing Massacre.
‘Over 300,000 civilians and disarmed soldiers were gruesomely murdered’, he said, describing the period as a test of national endurance that also ushered in profound political transformation.
Onunaiju noted that the formation of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the ‘Three Thirds System’ in CPC-controlled areas laid the groundwork for modern Chinese political inclusion.
He echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s view that the world is increasingly becoming ‘a community with a shared future, in which we all have a little of others within us’, and stressed that China’s foreign policy remains rooted in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
Discussing Nigeria-China relations, Onunaiju described the two countries’ partnership as one built on mutual respect and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
‘The pace of Nigeria-China cooperation could move even faster, and its scope growing boundless, and the opportunities, limitless, with a confidence between the two, solid as rock’, he said.
He commended Dunhai and his team for their efforts in strengthening bilateral ties and urged the Nigerian government to match China’s engagement with action.
‘The lessons of China’s wartime resistance should endure and illuminate our collective path, going forward’, Onunaiju concluded.
Adding his voice, the Director of the Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research in Nigeria, Professor Sheriff Ibrahim, condemned colonialism and praised China’s patriotic resolve.
‘Colonial policy of any kind is inhumane and should be rejected. No nation can thrive without patriotism. What was seen in China was patriotism and love for one’s nation’, he concluded.
