On 4 September 2020, incommemoration ofthe 75th Anniversary of the Victory of Chinese People's War Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War,Kuwait's most widely circulated Arabic daily Al-Anba published a signed article by Ambassador Li Minggang entitled "Bearing in Mind the History and Opening up the Future". Here is the full text of the article:

Bearing in Mindthe Historyand Opening up the Future

--In Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Victory of Chinese People's War Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War

September 3, 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Seventy-five years ago, the World Anti-Fascist War was the biggest and deadliest conflict in human history, with more than 2 billion people from 80 countries and regions engulfed by the flames of war. In that devastating war, all the peace-loving nations and peoples in the world fought gallantly alongside and finally won the great victory of the World War II.

The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an indispensable and important part of the World Anti-Fascist War. The war in China started the earliest and lasted the longest, and the Chinese military and civilians made enormous national sacrifice of over 35 million casualties in that great struggle. After 14 years of tenacious fight, the Chinese people won the great victory of their War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, thus preserving China's 5,000-year-old civilization and upholding the cause of peace of mankind. As the main theater in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War, the war in China has strategically supported the operations in the European and the Pacific theaters, and China's contribution to the full victory over the Fascist forces has indelible historic significance. The victory of Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is the great triumph achieved by the Chinese people, the Anti-Fascist Allies and all peoples around the world throughtheir joint fight.

China has been committed to upholding, promoting and contributing to the global order. In order to safeguard outcomes of the hard-won victory of the World War II, the international community pooled together their wisdom and established the international order and system with the United Nations (UN) as the core and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as the cornerstone, thus opening a new chapter in the history of international relations and constructing the defenses of world peace in the post-war era. China took an active part in and made significant contributions to this historical process, and was the first country to sign on the UN Charter. In the 75 years following that great victory, while focusing on developing itself, China has faithfully fulfilled its due international responsibilities and obligations, and played a constructive role in promoting world peace and development as well as safeguarding and improving post-war international order and system. As a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has firmly supported the central role of the UN in global governance, consistently safeguarded and practiced multilateralism, and resolutely promote world multi-polarization and democratization of international relations.

While peace and development remain the call of our times, the world is undergoing profound and complex changes unseen in a century. We have seen immense changes in the international situation and new challenges to the existing international order and system. Deglobalization trends such as unilateralism, protectionism and bullyism are on the rise. The Cold-War mentality and zero-sum game mindset are resurging. As the COVID-19 pandemicwreaks havoc around the world, the health and safety of humanity are under grave threat, and the world economy faces unprecedented headwinds. All these challenges and risks become the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind.

Solidarity and cooperation are the invaluable historical legacies of the World War II. With the foresight and a keen understanding of China's relations with the world in the new era, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a new concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind,which is designed to build a new type of international relations of win-win cooperation. The Chinese government has been upholding the global free-trade system and the open world economy, and proposed the Belt and Road Initiative guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. After nearly seven years of development since its inception, cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative has delivered substantial benefits to more and more countries and regions and received a positive response from the international community. By the end of October 2019, China has signed 197 cooperation documents on Belt and Road construction with 137 countries and 30 international organizations. With its growing influence and ability to inspire, the Belt and Road Initiative has served as a solution for China to participate in global opening-up and cooperation, improve global economic governance, promote common development and prosperity, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.The Initiative has been transformed from concept to action, and from vision to reality.

China and Kuwait are peace-loving countries. Sharing broad common interests on many major international and regional issues, our two countries have maintained close coordination and cooperation in such international organizations and multilateral mechanisms as the UN. Kuwait highly recognizes and respondspositively to the Belt and Road Initiative, and was the first Arab country to sign a cooperation agreement on the Belt and Road Initiative with China. China views Kuwait as a key partner to cooperate under the Belt and Road Initiative and maintain regional peace and stability in the Gulf region, and stands ready to work with Kuwaitwithin the framework of the China-Kuwait strategic partnership to strengthen the synergy of development strategies, intensify communication and coordination, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and jointly promote regional development and prosperity, as well as peace and stability.

The aim of our commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World War II is to bear in mindthe history, cherish peace and open up the future. 75 years ago, China and all peace-loving countries, by fighting shoulder to shoulder,won the victory of the World War II and saved humanity from an existential threat. 75 years on, China will continue to be committed to the path of peaceful development and upholding multilateralism. China resolutely rejects the Cold-War mentality and zero-sum game mindset, and opposes hegemonism and power politics, and will strive to firmly uphold the outcomes of the victory of the World War II and safeguard the hard-won world peace. China is willing to work with other countries to foster a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation as the core, improve the architecture of global governance, jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, and write a new chapter of peace for all mankind in the post-pandemic era!