A ceremony presenting flower baskets as a tribute to martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is held at the memorial tower in the Memorial Hall of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in Dandong, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Oct. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday addressed a meeting marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) entering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fight in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953). The speech is a declaration of peace and justice anti-China hardliners must not ignore.
Facing a severe threat to national security 70 years ago, China fought the war to safeguard peace and resist aggression. CPV soldiers fought side by side with the DPRK's people and army, shattering the myth of the invincibility of the U.S. military, and forcing the invaders to sign the armistice on July 27, 1953.
Justice will surely prevail over power, and peace and development are an unstoppable trend of history, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, at the meeting.
Xi's speech demonstrates China's firm stance and resolve to protect territorial sovereignty and unity, safeguard regional and world peace and stability, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
Xi's speech also shows the common will of 1.4 billion Chinese people, boosts national morale and pools national strength to overcome difficulties and development challenges on the way to national rejuvenation.
China will uphold the leadership of the CPC and make the party even stronger. It will also make continuous efforts to build up national strength and hasten moves to modernize national defense and the armed forces.
Hardliners opposed to China's development should not misjudge the current situation or underestimate China's determination and capability to safeguard its core interests. China will never allow its national sovereignty, security and development interests to be undermined and will never allow territorial violation or separatist moves by any force. There is no ambiguity on these issues.
Arrogance, always doing as one pleases, acts of hegemony, overbearance or bullying will lead nowhere and surely result in a dead end in today's world, as Xi said in his speech. This is a lesson some politicians in the West must keep in mind when they try to blackmail, block and exert maximum pressure on China.
The victory in the 1950-1953 war is a reminder that China has never been afraid of and will never bow to power politics. History has demonstrated that any country, no matter how powerful, is a "paper tiger" doomed to failure if it stands on the wrong side of the development trend of the world. Seeking peaceful development and win-win cooperation is the right way forward.
China will continue to promote peace and cooperation in a world in which it can realize the goal of modernization and its people can achieve a better life. To that end, more than 197,000 Chinese heroes devoted their lives in the war seven decades ago. Any individual or force that attempts to stop China's step toward this lofty cause is only repeating the strategic mistake committed by invaders 70 years ago. ■
