President advocates for more just, prosperous world

At Beijing's Tian'anmen Square, President Xi Jinping, together with world leaders, attended a grand military parade on Wednesday morning honoring both China's victory and the collective triumph of nations that overcame fascism 80 years ago.

Standing on the Tian'anmen Rostrum, Xi delivered a speech marking 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. He called on nations across the world to eliminate the root cause of war and prevent historical tragedies from recurring.

Xi said common security can only be safeguarded when nations across the world treat each other as equals, live in harmony and mutually support one another.

For Xi, this solemn observance was more than a tribute to history; it signaled a vision for the future, where humanity can peacefully share a more just, equitable and prosperous world.

Ahead of the ceremony, Xi and world leaders stepped onto the Tian'anmen Rostrum, shaking hands with Chinese war veterans in turn.

Moments later, under Xi's gaze, People's Liberation Army troops in various formations marched through the vast square.

That same gaze was present in May when he watched PLA troops march across Moscow's Red Square during commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in its Great Patriotic War.

Shortly afterward, Xi joined Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders to lay red flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall, pausing in silence for those who died in the fight against fascism.

Ahead of the trip, a signed article by Xi titled "Learning from History to Build Together a Brighter Future" was published in the newspaper Russian Gazette. He wrote, "The world needs justice, not hegemonism."

Xi's appeal has roots in history. In 2017, during a visit to the Memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai, he lingered before three images capturing China's suffering more than a century ago: a late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) cartoon showing foreign powers carving up China, a chart of the crippling indemnities China was forced to pay, and Karl Marx's sharp critique of then China's isolationist complacency.

"How much humiliation. How much disgrace. China back then was a fat sheep awaiting slaughter," Xi said.

The end of the World Anti-Fascist War, or WWII, set the stage for a rebirth of the international order. From the ruins emerged the United Nations in 1945, with its Charter enshrining sovereign equality, noninterference and the peaceful settlement of disputes — a landmark break from centuries of the law of the jungle where "might is right".

As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, Xi has urged revitalizing the world body under the new circumstances, enabling it to serve as the primary platform for countries to coordinate actions and jointly address challenges.

His message also reflects some acute present challenges facing the world order today. As Xi has observed, unilateralism, hegemonism, as well as bullying and coercive practices are severely undermining peace, justice and equality in the world.

Xi offered his explicit perspective. "The strong should not bully the weak," he said. "Decisions should not be made by simply showing off strong muscles or waving a big fist. Selective multilateralism should not be our option."

Under Xi's leadership, China has stepped up global peace efforts by following true multilateralism — taking part in UN peacekeeping missions, advancing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's anti-extremism convention, mediating Saudi-Iran reconciliation, supporting the establishment of the "Friends for Peace" Group on the Ukraine Crisis, and co-founding the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong with 32 nations.

"China will never seek hegemony, nor does it believe in a zero-sum," Xi has vowed. "Such notions have never been part of China's cultural DNA, nor is there any such ambition."

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva once remarked on Xi's strong sense of justice.

He told Xi: "You have been an inspiration for the profound changes humanity must pursue — to speak more of peace than of war, to cooperate more than compete, and to create more than destroy."