A Chinese government delegation on Monday held a memorial ceremony for Chinese martyrs who died in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945) in Kokopo, capital of East New Britain in Papua New Guinea. [Special coverage]
Some 1,600 Chinese soldiers were imprisoned in the South Pacific island nation by the Japanese during the Second World War. More than 650 soldiers died in prison camps, while nearly 1,000 soldiers were rescued and sent home by the U.S. navy in 1946.
At the ceremony held in a cemetery in Kokopo, China's Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Gu Chaoxi said the war of aggression launched by Japanese militarists had brought trauma to countries and nations that were invaded while leaving endless sufferings to people who love peace and amity.
With the national cohesion of courage and strength, the Chinese people united to fight Japanese invaders and finally won the anti-Japanese war, showing that justice will eventually defeat evil, Gu said.
In the battlefield of the East in the World Anti-fascist War, the Chinese nation has made great sacrifice and contribution, Gu said.
The Chinese soldiers buried in the Kokopo cemetery, together with other Chinese martyrs in the anti-Japanese war, are a national pride, whom the country and the people will remember forever, he added.
"History has told us that we need to not only strive for but also safeguard peace", said Gu, noting that China will continue to cherish peaceful development and improve people's well-being.
