Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, May 10 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and more than 20 other leaders, laid red roses at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The ceremony was a tribute to the memory and respect of the heroes who died in the Great Patriotic War, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory.
The ceremonial events ended with a grand military parade on Red Square. On the main platform, Xi Jinping and V. Putin sat next to each other and exchanged words from time to time.
More than 11,500 troops took part in the parade, including contingents from more than 10 countries. Among them was an honor guard from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Xi Jinping stood up from his seat as the PLA troops passed the stands.
During the historical part of the parade, Russian servicemen, dressed in uniforms from the Great Patriotic War, carried old military flags and weapons in their hands, reminiscent of the years of resistance to fascism.
On the evening of May 8, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany was signed in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Meanwhile, in Moscow, it was already May 9, which was declared “Victory Day” by the Soviet Union and then Russia. Since 1995, military parades and other commemorative events have been held in Russia every year on May 9.
“The Soviet Union took upon itself the most ferocious, merciless blows of the enemy,” said V. Putin in his speech at the parade.
“We will always remember that the opening of the second front in Europe – after the decisive battles on the territory of the Soviet Union – brought victory closer. We highly value the contribution to our common struggle of the soldiers of the allied armies, the resistance fighters, the courageous people of China. All those who fought for a peaceful future,” said V. Putin.
The Soviet Union was the main theater of World War II in Europe and lost 27 million people, while China was the main theater of war in Asia and lost more than 35 million people killed and wounded, resisting the main forces of Japanese militarism. Together, Russia and China became the bulwark of resistance to Japanese militarism and German Nazism, making a decisive contribution to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.
Eighty years ago, the peoples of the two countries united in the face of the brutal aggression of militarism and Nazism, fought shoulder to shoulder against a common enemy and wrote a remarkable and heroic chapter in history, Xi Jinping said at a joint press conference with Vladimir Putin after talks in the Kremlin.
Xi Jinping took part in the Victory Day celebrations for the second time; in 2015, he came to Moscow to mark the 70th anniversary of the Victory. That same year, on September 3, V. Putin attended the parade in Beijing in honor of the Victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
The past decade has been a time of major upheavals and transformations in the international situation, Xi Jinping said during a joint meeting with the media on Thursday.
In the face of global, epochal and historical changes, China and Russia should firmly guide the development trend of bilateral ties and human society, Xi said, calling for more active joint efforts to safeguard international justice.
In the run-up to Xi Jinping’s state visit to Russia, his article “Lessons from the Past for the Sake of the Future” was published in Russian media.
“Historical memory and truth, not erased by time, give us inspiration and lessons, always reminding us of reality and pointing the way to the future. It is important to preserve historical memory, the lessons of World War II should be learned,” he wrote. -0-