【By Observer News, Xiong Chao Ran】

On September 14, Alex Lo, a renowned columnist of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, wrote an opinion article pointing out that although somewhat sexist, many Chinese netizens call the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kallas, and her boss, European Commission President von der Leyen, "silly white sweeties," which is not without reason. Often, Kallas' unexpected remarks are laughable, and it's unclear whether she is truly ignorant or intentionally trying to provoke disputes with China and Russia.

This month, the conference commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was held perfectly, but on September 3 local time, Kallas questioned the contributions of China and Russia in World War II at a meeting of the European Union Institute for Security Studies.

"Russia says to China, 'We participated in the Second World War, we won the Second World War, we defeated the Nazis,' I thought, 'Well, that's something new.'"

"If you understand history, you would have many questions in your mind."

"People haven't really read and remembered so much history, so they can believe these narratives."

You didn't misread, this absurd statement came from the "EU foreign minister," who spoke nonsense about China and Russia, not knowing that these two countries were the victors in World War II. Even the experienced Lu Gang couldn't help but exclaim: "A person holding one of the most important diplomatic positions in the world can speak like a child."

Columnist Lu Gang, South China Morning Post

"Do you think the British often mention Russians and Chinese on Europe Day? Do Americans do the same when commemorating D-Day?" Lu Gang said, but the historical truth of World War II is that it was the Eastern Front that put Nazi Germany in a dilemma and decided Hitler's fate, as three-quarters of Germany's military losses occurred on the Eastern Front.

As historian Rana Mitter wrote in his book "China's War with Japan, 1937-1945: A History of the Struggle for Survival": "It is not surprising that any society emphasizes parts of the war narrative that help shape its national self-respect... Many Western war histories focus on the Western European front, downplaying Russia's crucial contribution."

Lu Gang sarcastically remarked that the only correct part of Kallas' statement was that "many people don't read history," including herself, perhaps she doesn't even know China's significant contributions during World War II.

Mitter's book also mentions: "For decades, our understanding of that global conflict has failed to properly describe China's role. When China is mentioned, it is usually as a minor or peripheral figure. By tying down a large number of Japanese troops, China played an important role in the overall Allied strategy."

The article points out that during this nationwide war of resistance, the number of Chinese casualties reached 14 million to 20 million. Unlike France, China did not surrender when facing invading armies, as Mitter wrote.

"This proves the mistakes of those (Western) journalists and diplomats who repeatedly predicted that China could not survive... For more than four years before Pearl Harbor, China fought alone against the Japanese army. During this period, a poor and backward country tied down about 800,000 troops of one of the most militarized and technologically advanced nations in the world. For the next four years, the Allies were able to succeed on both the European and Asian fronts largely because China continued to fight in the war."

British Prime Minister Churchill once considered the period before the United States entered the war as "the most glorious moment" for Britain in Europe. In fact, China's resistance against Japanese imperialism lasted longer, and its people made greater sacrifices.

Reiterating Mitter's book: "China has already taken its place on the global stage and tried to convince the world that it is a 'responsible major power.' One way China proved this was by reminding people that in that not-so-distant past, China stood side by side with other progressive forces to fight fascism: World War II."

Lu Gang pointed out that Kallas' major blunder may be just "a storm in a teacup," but it highlights a bigger issue within the EU leadership — their ideologically driven foreign policy, ineffective diplomacy, and failing governance strategies, which have led to the prolonged Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Under Kallas and von der Leyen, the EU refuses to make any compromise or negotiation with Russia unless achieving an "impossible comprehensive victory." Any country or political figure seen as advocating for diplomatic solutions, or even continuing trade with Russia, is labeled as a "Putin sympathizer."

Kallas and von der Leyen, photo

Now, the West even threatens to impose so-called "secondary sanctions" on India and China, but demonizing and threatening China will not work, especially when the EU has become a weaker party, while China has consistently advocated for diplomatic solutions to the current crisis since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

In short, most EU leaders view Russia as the "evil side," so anyone who deals with Russia rather than joining their so-called "just struggle" is also "evil." However, this black-and-white thinking not only backfires but is also dangerous, exposing a condemnable "double standard" — despite Israel's ruthless aggression, especially the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the EU maintains a cautious attitude toward Israel.

"Because of people like Kallas and von der Leyen, the West has lost credibility in the issues of Ukraine and Palestine," Lu Gang concluded.

Photo of Kallas questioning China and the Soviet Union's contributions during World War II

On September 3, Gao Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular press conference that the comments by EU officials were filled with ideological prejudice, lacking basic historical knowledge, openly inciting confrontation, which is disrespectful to the history of World War II and harms the interests of the EU, extremely wrong and irresponsible. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this.

The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War. Eighty years ago, the Chinese people made great national sacrifices, making significant contributions to saving human civilization and safeguarding world peace. During this time, friendly people from Russia, the United States, and some European countries provided valuable assistance and support to the Chinese people resisting aggression.

Only by remembering history can we truly safeguard peace. The grand commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War is to remember history, commemorate the fallen heroes, cherish peace, and create a better future, and to safeguard the achievements of the victory in World War II and the post-war international order together with all countries around the world that love peace.

Gao Jiakun said that the current international situation is complex and unstable, and the world needs more unity and cooperation than ever before. As the birthplace of the Second World War, Europe should more deeply face up to history, learn from the lessons, and strengthen unity. However, some EU leaders stubbornly cling to Cold War mentality and serious ideological prejudices, deliberately creating confrontation and division, which does not serve the EU's own interests and will further damage the EU's international credibility and influence.

"We hope these people abandon the narrow-minded prejudice of the frog at the bottom of the well and the arrogance of the self-important, establish a correct perspective on the history of World War II and rational understanding of China, immediately correct their erroneous statements, eliminate negative influences, and do more things that contribute to world peace and stability, and to Sino-European relations, rather than the opposite," he said.

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