Exhibition commemorating 70th anniversary of Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in Korean War (1950-53) against the US kicks off on Monday

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited an exhibition to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) Army entering the DPRK to help in the war to resist US aggression, and said that the great spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) should be inherited in the new era to fight for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Monday at the opening ceremony for the exhibition held at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution on Monday in Beijing.

Chinese analysts said that the high-profile commemoration is a signal to the whole nation as well as the rest of the world that China will not be intimidated by any threat from any hegemon, and with the spirit and tradition of victory gained from the Korean War, China can handle the problems and challenges, whether external or domestic, today with confidence. 

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Calling the Korean War a war for justice that safeguarded peace and resisted aggression, Wang said the heroic CPV soldiers and officers, together with the Korean people and armed forces, risked their lives and fought hard to achieve their ultimate victory.

He said the exhibition is aimed at reviewing the glorious course of the war and demonstrating the dauntless spirit of the CPV army. It also shows the Chinese people's unity and love for their country and the Chinese nation's determination to safeguard peace.

Wang called for carrying forward the spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea to strive for a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and to achieve the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

On October 19, 1950, as requested by the DPRK, CPV forces crossed the Yalu River alongside the border line between China and the DPRK to aid the DPRK's fight there until a truce was signed in 1953. A total of 2.9 million CPV soldiers entered the battlefield, and 197,653 of them sacrificed their lives in the war.

Exhibition commemorating 70th anniversary of Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in Korean War (1950-53) against the US kicks off on Monday

The spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea consists of "patriotism, revolutionary heroism, revolutionary optimism, revolutionary loyalty and the spirit of internationalism that fight for the peace and justice for the humanity," according to Xi's speech at the symposium to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the war in 2010.

In recent years, especially in 2020, the US has increased its strategic pressures, stigmatizations and provocations to China from different aspects, covering the fields of politics, diplomacy, military, public health, ideology, as well as science and technology, so by commemorating the war 70 years ago, Chinese national leaders also want to send a clear signal to the world that in order to realize the great rejuvenation of the nation, China will overcome all difficulties and challenges it encounters.

China's commemoration of the war this year sends a clear message - "if the US insists on its hegemonic way and keeps dragging China into confrontation, China will fight back unswervingly" just like 70 years ago, Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that China does not want confrontation, but also does not fear that.

Cheng Xiaohe, an expert on Korean studies and international politics at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that "in the war 70 years ago, China fought the US in the Korean Peninsula and realized the 70-year-long general peace for the region, and today, China has no choice but to have new struggles with the same rival again." 

"The two countries are very different now as China is much more powerful though the US is still the only superpower of the world, and by inheriting the spirit from the past, China also needs to find new solutions to overcome the difficulties in the new era," he said.

As the war 70 years ago was to safeguard the security of the newly founded People's Republic of China, commemorating the war also showed China's responsibility in maintaining stability and security of regions around it, Lü noted.

China will not let any country outside the region, namely the US, to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and threaten China's development environment, he said.

"Of course, as Xi said, the spirit should be used to fight for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation rather than just the struggles with the US," and in the fields like research and development in different industries and the diplomatic affairs, the spirit of the war should also be inherited. 

As part of this year's commemoration, a series of films and TV dramas on the theme will make a debut in the following week, attracting wide attention including that from the younger generation. 

Chinese people created the history of the weak defeating the strong. "The shared memory will not fade away even if many did not experience the war. The spirit will continue to encourage Chinese people to overcome difficulties, get united and fight a strong enemy," Lü said.