BEIJING - A think tank report released on Friday underlines the great significance and contributions of the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

Titled "Remembering History and Defending Justice -- Great Contributions of the Main Battlefield in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War," the report was published in both Chinese and English by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. China held grand commemorations, including a massive military parade, in Beijing on Wednesday.

"The World Anti-Fascist War was a unified global struggle, with the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression forming a vital component," the report says.

It elaborates on the unshakable global significance of the main battlefield in the east and calls for joint efforts to stay on the path of peaceful development and common prosperity.

ALSO READ: China refutes EU official's statements on V-Day commemorations

Main battlefield 

The think tank report also affirms the fact that the Chinese theater was the main battlefield in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War eight decades ago.

"China was the foremost target in Japan's expansionist agenda. Consequently, China suffered Japanese aggression earlier and more intensely than any other nation. The Chinese people's resistance was likewise the earliest and most resolute, initiating the World Anti-Fascist War and establishing the world's first large-scale anti-fascist battlefield," it says.

According to the report, the Chinese theater effectively pinned down and engaged the main forces of Japanese militarism, impeding both its "northern advance" toward the Soviet Union and its "southern advance" into the Pacific. This strategic containment disrupted coordination between Japanese and German fascist forces, playing a decisive role in the ultimate defeat of the Japanese invaders, the report says.

From the Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937 to Japan's surrender in 1945, Chinese forces annihilated more than 1.5 million Japanese troops, accounting for over 70 percent of Japan's total military casualties in World War II.

After the outbreak of the war in Europe and the Pacific War, more than 20 countries and regions across Europe, Asia and Africa fell to the fascist invasion.

"Not only did China thwart Japan's attempts to subjugate it, but it also provided crucial strategic support to the Allied war effort and coordinated with strategic actions in both the European and Pacific theaters," the report says.

China also served as a vital rear base for Allied operations against Japan in the Asia-Pacific region, supplying essential strategic materials and military intelligence to the Allies, directly supporting their operations and securing a critical buffer of time for Allied forces, the report adds.

World national liberation movement

The Chinese victory in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression not only laid a solid foundation for China's own liberation but also profoundly inspired freedom struggles throughout oppressed nations as well as colonial and semi-colonial territories, the report says.

The victory inspired confidence and courage in oppressed colonial and semi-colonial countries worldwide to fight for national independence and liberation, the report says.

Meanwhile, the revolutionary theories and practices developed by the Communist Party of China during the war offered viable liberation strategies for oppressed nations worldwide, it adds.

Conditions for national rejuvenation

The great victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression created crucial conditions for Chinese people to forge the right path toward national rejuvenation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, said the report.

According to the report, the complex situation of the war tested and tempered the Communist Party of China.

Following the war's victory, the Party guided the people in swiftly achieving the victory in the New-Democratic Revolution and establishing the People's Republic of China, ultimately fulfilling the historical mission of national independence and people's liberation.

"This achievement wiped away a century of humiliation, created the fundamental social conditions for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and ushered in a new era in China's development," the report reads.

Building of new international order

The main battlefield in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War, established by the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, promoted the building of a new international order.

According to the report, during the later stages of the World Anti-Fascist War, China took an active role in founding the United Nations and shaping a new post-war world order, achieving significant results. This post-war international order serves as the cornerstone of today's global peace and stability, with China consistently acting as both its key builder and defender.

The report said that the defensive line forged by Chinese military and civilians -- at the cost of their flesh and blood -- served as an unbreakable chain that halted Japan's aggression and fundamentally undermined the military foundation of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," crushing Japan's plans for global domination.

The report also noted that China participated throughout the entire founding process of the United Nations and contributed to numerous critical decisions.

According to the report, the United Nations, which China helped establish, stands as the most universal, representative, and authoritative international organization. It embodies humanity's renewed vision and has ushered in a new era of global cooperation. The UN Charter, which China helped formulate, has established the cornerstone of modern international order and defined the basic norms governing contemporary international relations.

Learning from history

The report also proposed four key guidelines: upholding and promoting a correct historical view of World War II, safeguarding the post-war international order, defending international fairness and justice, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Specifically, the report called for efforts to oppose attempts to glorify aggression and distort history, to present a complete picture of the World Anti-Fascist War, and to understand the historical contributions of the Chinese people and peoples around the world, in order to uphold and promote a correct historical view of World War II.

"For decades, the battlefield in the East has been marginalized in Western academic narratives of World War II," the report said. "China served as the backbone in resisting Japanese militarism, and the major contributions, pivotal role, and tremendous sacrifices of the Chinese people must not be denied, ignored, or distorted," it stated.

To safeguard the post-war international order, countries are called upon to safeguard the UN-centered international system, to promote equal and orderly world multipolarity, and to promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, according to the report.

The report highlighted promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, stating that building a community with a shared future requires strategic guidance from the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.

"Reflecting on history since the World Anti-Fascist War, we have gained a profound insight: humanity must unite with shared purpose and move toward collective action to implement the three global initiatives," the report said.