The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) (CPCML) issued a special supplement of their online newspaper on September 6 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
In its opening article, CPC(ML) writes: “The contribution made by the peoples of China to the cause of liberating humankind from the scourge of Nazi fascism and Japanese militarism and ending World War II was colossal.
“On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the victory of the worldwide Anti-Fascist War, the peoples of the world pay homage to the 35 million Chinese who died in that war and all the heroes who faced the Japanese onslaught and its unprecedented brutality. They join the Chinese people in recalling the events of the war, the leadership of Mao Zedong, one of the outstanding revolutionary anti-imperialist fighters of the 20th century, and in recognising their contributions.”
The party notes that, “Events have recalled the events which took place and the heroism of the people, fully aware that their exceptional courage and ingenuity pinned down some 1.86 million Japanese soldiers, 50 per cent of its total force, preventing their deployment elsewhere,” adding, “Japan has never recognised the heinous crimes it committed in China during its 14 years of occupation.”
But as the article, notes, between 1942 and 1945, the Japanese military carried out the ‘Three-Alls’ Policy against the Chinese people: kill all, burn all and loot all. Besides committing massacres of civilians like the Rape of Nanjing and using biological and germ warfare against the people, the Japanese abducted close to 200,000 Chinese women and girls, forcing them into sex-slavery for the Japanese military. Close to 100 million people were displaced and became refugees.
On the auspicious occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) pays its deepest respects to the heroic Chinese people and the peoples of Asia who, organised and led by the communists, stopped the Japanese aggressors in their tracks. Along with the Soviet Red Army and the anti-fascist forces of the world, they secured the peace.
- CPC(M-L) salutes the Chinese people and their stunning accomplishments in liberating China and turning it into a modern nation, second to none.
- CPC(M-L) also pays tribute to the Canadian communist, Dr. Norman Bethune, whose internationalism and selfless medical services to the Chinese people’s war of resistance are the foundation of the fraternal ties of peace and friendship between the Canadian and Chinese people. This friendship is bound to prevail as together the peoples of the world rise to the challenge of coming revolutionary storms.
- CPC(M-L) decries the absence of a high-level Canadian delegation in Beijing for China’s Victory Day Celebrations. Canada has joined the US and NATO countries in boycotting the celebrations, thus refusing to acknowledge China’s contributions to the fight against Nazi fascism and Japanese militarism. So too, these warmongering governments boycotted this year’s Victory Day celebrations in Russia on the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi fascism in Europe.
- CPC(M-L) also condemns Canada’s participation in war exercises the US is holding in the Asia-Pacific to threaten China. Particularly shameful are the war exercises held on the occasion of the V-Day celebrations, with Japan playing a leading role.
“For Canada to condone this and refuse to join the celebrations, is unacceptable. While the government boycotts the 80th Anniversary events, the peoples of Canada and worldwide join the Chinese peoples in celebrating these victories.
“CPC(M-L) calls on all Canadians and Quebeckers to go all out to strengthen the friendship between the peoples of our two countries and not permit attempts to incite animosity against the people whose origins lie in China, many of whose ancestors have built this country since the end of the last decades of the 19th century.”
An article by Steve Rutchinski outlines China’s Decisive Role in Victory of World Anti-Fascist War. He notes:
“The official narrative about WWII in the East is that the war ended when Japan was forced to surrender after the US dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, taking the lives of close to 200,000 people. The fact is the million-strong Kwantung Army, part of the Japanese forces based in Manchuria, fought on against the Chinese forces and the Soviet Red Army which joined the war against Japan on August 9. The war ended after the collapse of the main Japanese forces on August 16, with sporadic fighting continuing until August 26, 1945.
“Little information is provided by official historians in the west about China’s decisive contribution to the peoples’ victory in WWII. The 80th anniversary celebrations in China on September 3 show the world China’s significant contributions to the anti-fascist struggle and to ending WWII. They honour and celebrate these great achievements, joined by peoples worldwide. Led by the Communist Party of China and the revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, the Chinese people made heroic sacrifices and outstanding contributions to the anti-fascist victory, as did the Koreans, Filipinos, Malaysians, Indonesians, and other peoples of East Asia.”
Steve notes that, in May of this year, the British historian Rana Mitter, author of ‘Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II, 1937-1945’, was interviewed by ‘China Daily’ and said that it is necessary and important to give China its due as one of two countries, the other being the Soviet Union, that withstood the worst of the fighting during WWII.
“Today, to its shame, Canada has joined the US, Britain, Australia, France, and other countries in boycotting the September 3 celebrations in Beijing to mark the liberation of China from the Japanese imperialists and the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Canadian state is promoting anti-China vitriol, defaming the Chinese people, and instigating attacks against those of Chinese origin in Canada by claiming they are spies of the Chinese state intent on undermining Canadian institutions. It actively promotes anti-communist propaganda to denigrate the contributions of the Chinese people and the communist-led resistance in other countries of Asia that helped defeat the Japanese militarists and contributed to the victory of the peoples over the Axis powers. In lockstep with the US, the Carney Liberal government plans to spend tens of billions of dollars to build up Canada’s military and engage in provocations in the Asia Pacific region to threaten China and the DPRK in the name of defending ‘Canadian values, freedom and democracy.’”
An article by Philip Fernandez details the living revolutionary legacy of the great Canadian internationalist, Dr. Norman Bethune.
Noting that, “As part of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory over the Japanese imperialists during the Second World War, China is remembering the many international friends who came to her aid during her 14-year war,” Philip emphasises that, “At the top of this list is Dr. Norman Bethune, the Canadian communist and internationalist who arrived in China in January 1938, after serving with the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades in support of the democratically-elected Spanish Republican government fighting the onslaught of the Francisco Franco fascists and their Nazi allies.”
He reports that: “This year in the Wutai region where Dr. Bethune worked till his death, the places where he worked and lived have been refurbished to draw attention to his work and contributions. At the Datong Red Culture Museum, visitors can gain an appreciation of the work that Dr. Bethune performed when he lived in the area for about three months. Ren Dong, head of the museum, notes that during his short stay Bethune performed 700 surgeries and in addition treated more than 1,000 soldiers and individuals. Dr. Bethune also trained dozens of frontline surgical staff, prepared training manuals for medical workers and organised operating rooms and first aid stations in the region… In the spirit of Norman Bethune, the Bethune Hospital staff continues to provide medical support to China’s remote regions and is part of China’s medical mission to Africa.”
Amongst the other material carried by the supplement are photos from the celebrations in China and around the world, including CPC(ML) members presenting red carnations to Chinese community elders in Montreal; historic photos of the Chinese people’s heroic resistance and of Dr. Bethune in China; historical reference material on the Nanjing Massacre; classic writings by Norman Bethune and Israel Epstein; and an article by Nick Lin condemning current US-Japan military provocations against China. It may be read in full here.
CPC(ML) has also published recent special supplements for related events, namely the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in Korea, the 86th Anniversary of the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact, the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s declaration of independence, and the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
In Recognition of Chinese Peoples’ Colossal Contributions to Victory
The contribution made by the peoples of China to the cause of liberating humankind from the scourge of Nazi fascism and Japanese militarism and ending World War II was colossal.
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the victory of the worldwide Anti-Fascist War, the peoples of the world pay homage to the 35 million Chinese who died in that war and all the heroes who faced the Japanese onslaught and its unprecedented brutality. They join the Chinese people in recalling the events of the war, the leadership of Mao Zedong, one of the outstanding revolutionary anti-imperialist fighters of the 20th century and in recognizing their contributions.
On September 3, 2025, the People’s Republic of China celebrated this historic victory. Events have recalled the events which took place and the heroism of the people, fully aware that their exceptional courage and ingenuity pinned down some 1.86 million Japanese soldiers, 50 per cent of its total force, preventing their deployment elsewhere.
Japan has never recognized the heinous crimes it committed in China during its 14 years of occupation.
Due to the Japanese aggression, between 1939 and 1945, China suffered the loss of some 3.4 million troops, second only to the Soviet Union which lost 7.5 million.
Between 1942 and 1945, the Japanese military carried out the Three-Alls Policy against the Chinese people: kill all, burn all and loot all. Besides committing massacres of civilians like the Rape of Nanjing and using biological and germ warfare against the people, the Japanese abducted close to 200,000 Chinese women and girls, forcing them into sex-slavery for the Japanese military. Close to 100 million people were displaced and became refugees.
On the auspicious occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese peoples victory, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) pays its deepest respects to the heroic Chinese people and the peoples of Asia who, organized and led by the communists, stopped the Japanese aggressors in their tracks. Along with the Soviet Red Army and the antifascist forces of the world, they secured the peace.
CPC(M-L) salutes the Chinese people and their stunning accomplishments in liberating China and turning it into a modern nation, second to none.
CPC(M-L) also pays tribute to the Canadian communist, Dr. Norman Bethune, whose internationalism and selfless medical services to the Chinese people’s war of resistance are the foundation of the fraternal ties of peace and friendship between the Canadian and Chinese people. This friendship is bound to prevail as together the peoples of the world rise to the challenge of coming revolutionary storms.
CPC(M-L) decries the absence of a high-level Canadian delegation in Beijing for China’s Victory Day Celebrations. Canada has joined the U.S. and NATO countries in boycotting the celebrations, thus refusing to acknowledge China’s contributions to the fight against Nazi fascism and Japanese militarism. So too, these warmongering governments boycotted this year’s Victory Day celebrations in Russia on the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi fascism in Europe.
CPC(M-L) also condemns Canada’s participation in war exercises the U.S. is holding in the Asia-Pacific to threaten China. Particularly shameful are the war exercises held on the occasion of the V-Day celebrations, with Japan playing a leading role.
Japan’s deployment of its armed forces at this time, beyond the limits of self-defence, as part of the U.S. war preparations in the Asia Pacific, is contrary to the wishes of the Japanese people who continue to stand with the anti-fascist, anti-war forces today. The people of Okinawa and the Japanese peoples are demanding the removal of U.S. bases and organizing to stop the Japanese ruling circles from revising the country’s Constitution to remove Article 9. Article 9 is part of the victory over the fascists and militarists, which specifically bars Japan from waging war and states that “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained.” While military forces do exist today, contrary to the Constitution, the demand is for them to only be used for self-defence purposes.
For Canada to condone this and refuse to join the celebrations, is unacceptable. While the government boycotts the 80th Anniversary events, the peoples of Canada and worldwide join the Chinese peoples in celebrating these victories. They recognize that the significance of China’s victory over Japan and contributions to ending World War II can never be over-estimated.
CPC(M-L) calls on all Canadians and Quebeckers to go all out to strengthen the friendship between the peoples of our two countries and not permit attempts to incite animosity against the people whose origins lie in China, many of whose ancestors have built this country since the end of the last decades of the 19th century.
China’s Decisive Role in Victory of World Anti-Fascist War
The Second World War ended in Europe when Germany surrendered on May 9, 1945 and the Red Flag was hoisted over the Reichstag in Berlin. In Asia, the war against the Japanese militarists continued in China and elsewhere in Asia until the defeat of Imperial Japan on August 15 and the official surrender of Japan aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
The official narrative about WWII in the East is that the war ended when Japan was forced to surrender after the U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, taking the lives of close to 200,000 people. The fact is the million-strong Kwantung Army, part of the Japanese forces based in Manchuria, fought on against the Chinese forces and the Soviet Red Army which joined the war against Japan on August 9. The war ended after the collapse of the main Japanese forces on August 16, with sporadic fighting continuing until August 26, 1945.
Little information is provided by official historians in the west about China’s decisive contribution to the peoples’ victory in WWII. The 80th anniversary celebrations in China on September 3 show the world China’s significant contributions to the anti-fascist struggle and to ending WWII. They honor and celebrate these great achievements, joined by peoples worldwide. Led by the Communist Party of China and the revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, the Chinese people made heroic sacrifices and outstanding contributions to the anti-fascist victory, as did the Koreans, Filipinos, Malaysians, Indonesians, and other peoples of East Asia. The achievements also show the falsification of history about the role of the U.S. in WWII, and in becoming the main pro-fascist, anti-communist force after the war.
Mao Zedong leading Chinese guerilla forces in 1944.
The failure of most historians to acknowledge China’s contributions is deliberate. Like the denial of the decisive role of the Soviet Red Army in defeating the Nazis, this purposeful falsification of history is used to justify the plans of the U.S./NATO today, including Canada, for aggression against China and Russia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran and others.
In May of this year, the British historian Rana Mitter, author of Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II, 1937-1945, was interviewed by China Daily and said that it is necessary and important to give China its due as one of two countries, the other being the Soviet Union, that withstood the worst of the fighting during WWII. He pointed out that Japanese aggression in China began on September 18, 1931, when Japanese forces blew up a section of railway near Liutiaohu, a false-flag operation staged to justify bombing the city. Japanese aggression expanded to full-scale war in 1937 following a skirmish between Chinese and Japanese troops at the Lugou Bridge near Beijing. In all, the Chinese people fought for 14 years to liberate their country from Japanese militarism.
Today, to its shame, Canada has joined the U.S., Britain, Australia, France, and other countries in boycotting the September 3 celebrations in Beijing to mark the liberation of China from the Japanese imperialists and the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Canadian state is promoting anti-China vitriol, defaming the Chinese people, and instigating attacks against those of Chinese origin in Canada by claiming they are spies of the Chinese state intent on undermining Canadian institutions. It actively promotes anti-communist propaganda to denigrate the contributions of the Chinese people and the communist-led resistance in other countries of Asia that helped defeat the Japanese militarists and contributed to the victory of the peoples over the Axis powers. In lockstep with the U.S., the Carney Liberal government plans to spend tens of billions of dollars to build up Canada’s military and engage in provocations in the Asia Pacific region to threaten China and the DPRK in the name of defending “Canadian values, freedom and democracy.”
Recognizing the decisive contribution of the Chinese people and the peoples of Asia in defeating Japanese militarism is not only important for the historical record. It is the foundation upon which the Chinese and other peoples of Asia join with the people of Canada, the U.S. and worldwide to prevent another World War, and underscores stepping up our efforts to make Canada a Zone for Peace.
Bethune’s Historic Contributions to China Live On
As part of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory over the Japanese imperialists during the Second World War, China is remembering the many international friends who came to her aid during her 14-year war.
At the top of this list is Dr. Norman Bethune, the Canadian communist and internationalist who arrived in China in January 1938, after serving with the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades in support of the democratically-elected Spanish Republican government fighting the onslaught of the Francisco Franco fascists and their Nazi allies. He died in China at his post on November 12, 1939, after cutting himself while operating on a wounded soldier. He persisted with his work but contracted an infection and developed sepsis. With no medicine with which to treat it, Bethune died.
Mao Zedong, the leader of the Communist Party of China which organized and led the Chinese people’s resistance against the Japanese aggressors, wrote the essay In Memory of Norman Bethune, in December 1939, paying tribute to this communist revolutionary doctor. Mao wrote among other things:
“He arrived in Yan’an in the spring of last year, went to work in the Wutai Mountains, and to our great sorrow died a martyr at his post. What kind of spirit is this that makes a foreigner selflessly adopt the cause of the Chinese people’s liberation as his own? It is the spirit of internationalism, the spirit of communism […] Comrade Bethune’s spirit, his utter devotion to others without any thought of self, was shown in his great sense of responsibility in his work and his great warm-heartedness towards all comrades and the people. Every communist must learn from him.”
This year in the Wutai region where Dr. Bethune worked till his death, the places he worked and lived have been refurbished to draw attention to his work and contributions. At the Datong Red Culture Museum, visitors can gain an appreciation of the work that Dr. Bethune performed when he lived in the area for about three months. Ren Dong, head of the museum notes that during his short stay Bethune performed 700 surgeries and in addition treated more than 1,000 soldiers and individuals. Dr. Bethune also trained dozens of frontline surgical staff, prepared training manuals for medical workers and organized operating rooms and first aid stations in the region.
Dr. Bethune also improvised and recycled materials because of the lack of medical and sterilization supplies. He paid close attention to maintaining the highest medical standards to save lives and minimize infection. At a memorial exhibition at the “Bethune Ward” at a war-time hospital, visitors are shown a steel box where surgical equipment was placed before being sterilized.
Tang Jinhui, the Party Secretary of Shanxi Bethune Hospital in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, notes that he and his colleagues are proud that their hospital is named after Dr. Norman Bethune. The name reminds the staff, local visitors, and people in the region that he lived and worked in Shanxi for almost two years.
Dr. Bethune treated wounded soldiers under extremely harsh conditions. He was innovative, among the first to create mobile surgical units. This was a development copied much later by the U.S. Army and came to be known as Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units in the Korean War. He also designed a battlefield surgery tool kit that could be easily packed and transported to ensure these mobile units could function.
Dr. Bethune created a model hospital ward to demonstrate and teach modern antiseptic techniques, crucial for preventing infections and that helped significantly reduce the mortality rate among the wounded. He trained young peasants in basic medical and surgical skills. He condensed the training into intensive, short-term programs (one year for doctors, six months for nurses) to quickly get staff to the front lines.
“We revisit the influence of Bethune’s spirit on China’s medical sector because its value is not just about saving lives during wartime. It has deeply shaped the direction of modern medicine’s evolution in China,” Tang emphasized.
In the spirit of Norman Bethune, the Bethune Hospital staff continues to provide medical support to China’s remote regions and is part of China’s medical mission to Africa.
Thank you for this comprehensive and enlightening piece on Dr. Bethune and his great work in China. This has filled a vacuum and casts light on the terrible atrocities committed by the Japanese military in the country. Now the spectre of war in Asia seems to be rising, due to fascist governments in the West and Japan.
I trust Russia and North Korea to aid the PRC in condemning this barbaric political shift in neighboring countries and many foreign volunteers will offer to join in protecting Marxist-Leninist principles in Asia, as Dr.Bethune did.
I am from Vancouver,Canada and i want to say Canada and the USA got contempt for China and Russia based on lies about these two countries. The Gov’ts of Canada and the USA also got contempt for the working class in these two countries since May Day that represents what the working has done through out History is not a Holiday in Canada or the USA.
People in Canada and the USA who got a Political Conscious are learning how China and Russia defeated Nazism and Fascism during world War 2. That is important News for all people to know.
Today in Canada and the USA both Gov’ts continue to lie about what is happening in Ukraine,Palestine, DPRK and other countries in the world. People in Canada and the USA need to have a Political Conscious so that their own Gov’ts won’t send them to fight against China and Russia.