Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Dec. 30, when addressing the Symposium on the International Situation and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025 in Beijing: “We must stay highly vigilant to the resurgence of militarism in Japan, resolutely defend the victorious outcomes of World War II achieved with great sacrifice, and effectively safeguard the hard-earned peace and stability.” He accused Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of publicly challenging China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the historical verdict of World War II, as well as the post-war international order.
Wang Yi opened his speech observing that 2025 saw “unilateralism and hegemonism finding no support and a multipolar world in the making. Amid once-in-a-century transformations, old and new problems intensified. The contest between progress and regression sharpened.
“This year, economic globalization met serious setbacks. The tariff war dealt a blow to international trade rules, and disrupted the global economic order. The choice between openness and isolation became imperative.
“This year, local wars and cross-border conflicts flared up more often than at any time since the end of WWII. …
