China rebuffs US for questioning military parade to mark end of second world war
American government official cast doubt over whether the event in September would promote reconciliation in Asia
China’s Defence Ministry rebuffed a senior US official who cast doubt on China’s plans to hold a military parade in September to mark the end of the second world war.
China has been coy about which countries it plans to invite to the September parade, but says it will probably invite representatives from the Western Allies who fought with China during the war.
President Barack Obama’s top Asia adviser, Evan Medeiros, told Asian media in Washington this week that he had questions about whether a large military parade would really send a signal of reconciliation or promote healing.
“We want for the region to get past it so the region can realise its full potential as a driver of global growth, for example,” Medeiros said.
“So when we think about these history questions and when we think about this ceremony in China, these are the kinds of considerations that we’re looking at.”
Defence Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said that history must be remembered if it was not to be repeated.