Victory celebrations salute past sacrifices and cherish the peace and progress they won

China announced on Tuesday that it will hold a grand gathering to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War during which President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech.

Among the activities planned is a military parade in Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, to be held on Sept 3, as part of the grand gathering. All this speaks volumes of the significance that China attaches to the great triumph that the nation, along with other countries around the world, achieved eight decades ago.

Such commemorative activities, aimed at ensuring historical memory and truth do not fade with the passage of time, are of even greater significance today when hegemonism and power politics are once again roiling the world. Learning from history, which mirrors the present and illuminates the future, China stands resolutely on the right side of history. It eschews a regressive retreat into a divisive Cold War framework in the face of the profound changes facing the world in favor of realizing its vision of a community with a shared future for mankind.