Letters | China’s Victory Day parade a reminder of the need for global cooperation
Readers discuss China’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Hongkongers’ engagement with the event, and a water procurement scandal
China has just marked the 80th anniversary of its victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. As memories settle, the conversation shifts from ceremony to responsibility: how history can inform a more stable, rules-based international order in an era of strategic competition and rapid technological change.
China’s wartime mobilisation tied down substantial portions of Japan’s fighting capability before the Pacific war widened the conflict across Asia. Domestic resistance made a significant contribution to the broader Allied effort.
In July 1945, China joined the Potsdam Declaration, underscoring the interconnectedness of wartime alliances and the emergence of a post-war international order, and Japan’s formal surrender in September 1945 closed a brutal chapter, with Victory Day on September 3 marking remembrance and resilience.
The commemorations honoured victims and heroes while emphasising restraint and responsibility, with the parade in Tiananmen Square illustrating a mix of traditional formations and modern capabilities within a framework of peaceful development, international cooperation and commitments to global public goods.