Recalling the China-U.S. united battle against Japanese aggression during the World War II, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai on Thursday called for joint China-U.S. efforts to preserve the post-war international order.
In an opinion piece published on USA Today, Cui strongly refuted the suspicion that China "is trying to challenge current international order and U.S. global leadership."
"Yet the simple fact is that China has achieved remarkable growth by committing to the peaceful development path, carrying out reform and opening up. China benefits from the current international order and has been the guardian of such order," the veteran Chinese diplomat said, adding that being an irrational challenger does not serve China's interests.
As China held a grand military parade Thursday to commemorate the victory of its resistance war against Japan's brutal aggression 70 years ago, Cui recalled that China and the U.S. were allies fighting together in the war to defeat the Japanese invaders.
"We will never forget that China and the U.S. were allies fighting side by side, and will be forever grateful for the contributions made by the U.S. in supporting China's resistance against Japanese aggression. American friends, including veterans of the famous Flying Tigers, have been invited to join the event," Cui wrote.
Some veteran American soldiers, including former pilots of the famous U.S. Flying Tigers that helped China's fight against the Japanese invasion near the Myanmar's border in the 1940s, and their offspring were invited as honor guests to attend the Beijing military parade on Thursday.
Cui noted that the 1945 victory laid the foundation for today's international order. The charter of the United Nations, born in the ruins of World War II, raised a series of important principles governing current international relations, such as sovereign equality, collective security, international cooperation and common development.
"These shared values will never be outdated. They still play a central role in maintaining international order," he said.
But he added that, while the frameworks of current international order should remain stable, it is important to adapt to profound changes. "Gradual reforms and adjustments should be introduced through inclusive consultations," he said.
Referring to differences between China and the U.S., Cui urged the two sides to look beyond the rifts and "stay committed to the core values and the major framework of the post-war international order, and steadfastly reject behaviors that challenge them."
"China and the U.S. should also leverage our respective advantages to explore new measures to enhance cooperation in global governance. So far, we have tremendous achievements, such as tackling climate change and the Ebola epidemic," Cui said.
He mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the United States later this month, during which Xi and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama "will have the opportunity to share their visions on the international order."
"Just like we did 70 years ago, China and the U.S., together with other members of the international community, should and will continue to maintain and improve the international order," Cui wrote.
