杨燕怡大使：铭记历史 开创未来（中英对照）

铭记历史  开创未来

Bearing in Mind the History and Opening up the Future

——纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年

– In Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War

中国驻欧盟使团团长 杨燕怡

H.E. Ambassador Yang Yanyi, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU

2015年9月1日

1 September 2015

今年9月3日是中国人民抗日战争胜利70周年，也是世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年。

September 3 marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

70多年前的中国人民抗日战争和世界反法西斯战争，是人类历史上正义与邪恶、光明与黑暗的殊死博斗。面对德、意、日法西斯势力悍然发动的侵略战争和给人类文明造成的空前浩劫，中国人民和世界爱好和平的力量同仇敌忾，相互支持，经过多年浴血奋战，终于取得抗日战争和世界反法西斯战争的伟大胜利，谱写了人类和平正义事业的壮丽史诗，也留下了极其珍贵的历史启迪。今天，我们纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年，就是旨在铭记历史，开创未来。

The Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War seven decades ago was a life-and-death contest in human history of justice versus evil and brightness against darkness. In the wake of the war of aggression launched by German, Italian and Japanese fascist forces and its unprecedented havoc to human civilization, the Chinese people and other peace-loving forces in the world rose in united resistance and, after years of bloody battles, won eventually the great victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. That victory was a glorious epic in the cause of peace and justice and left us valuable inspiration of history. The very purpose that we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the war is to bear in mind the history and open up the future.

铭记历史、开创未来，必须坚持正确历史观。通往未来之路扎根于以史为鉴的努力之中。不让历史悲剧重演，一个重要条件是，犯下侵略罪行的国家全面深刻反省、坚定摒弃野蛮侵略历史，国际社会尤其是对世界和平负有重要责任的大国旗帜鲜明，绝不姑息错误历史观。70年来，在国际社会反思战争爆发根源，探求防止战争、实现持久和平解决之道的过程中，德国以正确历史认知洗刷战争罪行、以法律形式严防战争幽灵死灰复燃。与之相反，日本从未彻底清算侵略历史，一些顽固势力甚至公然挑战人类良知，歪曲和否认历史，企图修改和平宪法，国际上也不乏对日本倒行逆施的某种纵容。“前事不忘，后事之师”，不铲除战争祸根和幽灵，遑论地区和世界和平？为了实现永久和平，国际社会要毫不动摇坚持正确的二战史观，坚决反对任何篡改历史、开历史倒车的图谋。

To do so, we must adhere to a correct outlook of history. The road to the future starts with lessons from the past. An important prerequisite to prevent the recurrence of the tragedy is for countries that committed the crime of aggression to repent thoroughly and profoundly and break with the history of brutal aggression. The international community, major countries with significant responsibility for world peace in particular, should take a clear-cut stand not tolerating the erroneous outlook of history. Over the past seventy years, amidst efforts by the international community to reflect on the root-cause of the war and explore ways to prevent war and bring about lasting peace, Germany has taken actions, in a correct historical perspective, to wash away the crime of war and prevent, by legislative means, the resurrection of the ghost of war. In sharp contrast, Japan has never thoroughly broken away with the past of aggression. Certain obstinate forces in the country even openly challenge human conscience by distorting and denying the history and attempting to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution. Unfortunately, they are connived to a certain degree by some in the world. The past, if not forgotten, serves as a guide for the future. How can regional and world peace sustain without rooting out the ghost of war? To bring about sustainable peace, the international community should unswervingly stick to a correct outlook on the history of the World War II and staunchly oppose any attempts to distort facts and turn back the wheel of history.

铭记历史、开创未来，必须走和平发展道路。当今世界是一个深刻复杂变化的世界，是一个日新月异的世界。面对这样一个世界，中国秉持和平发展合作共赢理念，坚持走和平发展道路，通过争取和平的国际环境发展自己，同时以自身发展维护和促进世界和平与共同发展。然而，中国和平发展道路走得通走不通，世界持久和平发展实现得了实现不了，不仅有赖于中国自身努力，更取决于世界各国的共同努力。不能回避的是，进入21世纪，世界上一些人一些势力的头脑却仍停留在殖民扩张的旧时代，停留在冷战思维的旧框架，自觉不自觉地用西方大国兴衰理论和逻辑去解读、以零和博弈思维去对应对当今世界的深刻变化，霸权主义、强权政治、新干涉主义还在顽强地表现自己。这无疑构成国际关系紧张和局部动荡的一个根源。历史是最好的教科书，也是最好的清醒剂。为天下谋太平，各国都要走和平发展之路。这才是合乎时代潮流的明智之举，是尊重历史规律的正确选择。

To bear in mind the history and open up the future, we must stick to the path of peaceful development. The world we live in crackles with profound, complex as well as dynamic changes. In face of such changes, China pursues a policy of peace, development and cooperation. We adhere to the path of peaceful development, i.e., we strive for a peaceful international environment for our own development which, in turn, safeguards and promotes world peace and common development. However, whether or not China succeeds down the road of peaceful development and whether or not world peace and development sustains do not depend on China alone. It takes joint efforts by the entire international community. There is no denial that even as we live in the 21st century, some people and some forces choose to stay in the old days of colonial expansion and in an outdated Cold War mentality. They interpret, willingly or non-willingly, the profound changes in the world today as a zero-sum game in the western theory on the rise and fall of powers. At the same time, hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism are still asserting themselves. All this, without doubt, poses a root for international tension and regional instability. History is the best textbook that blows cobwebs in the mind. Sustaining world peace requires all countries to follow the path of peaceful development as this is the wise choice that conforms to the trend of the times and the law of history. 

铭记历史、开创未来，必须高举国际正义旗帜。历史总有相似之处。当年，日本军国主义为征服中国，称霸亚洲，捏造无耻谎言，践踏国际正义，发动侵略战争，并以所谓“大东亚共荣圈”模糊和掩盖其侵略本质。今天，日本一些政客和右翼顽固势力故伎重演，罔顾历史，颠倒是非，嫁祸于人：他们混淆反侵略和侵略战争的正义和非正义性质，本末倒置，扰乱视听，将日本由“加害者”装扮成二战“受害者”；他们恶意制造“中国威胁论”，人为煽动地区紧张，挑动矛盾对立,为日本突破和平宪法，通过安保法案、解禁集体自卫权寻找借口。对日本在关乎国际正义上的消极举动，国际社会必须明确反对。人们不能忘记，70多年前日本发动和扩大侵华战争的一个重要原因，是一些国家对日本的绥靖政策。70多年后，各国务必铭记历史教训，不要养虎遗患，害人害己。

To bear in mind the history and open up the future, we must hold high the banner of international justice. History finds familiar faces. In the past, in an attempt to conquer China and Asia, Japanese militarists launched the war of aggression in defiance of international justice by fabricating shameless lies and tried to blur the lines and cover up their act of aggression under the disguise of the so-called Greater East Asia Co-prosperity. Today, some politicians and right-wing forces in Japan, resorting to the same old tricks, stand facts on their heads and shift the blame to others. They purposefully blur the nature of war between aggression and resistance and try to depict Japan the victimizer as a victim of the war. They fabricate the so-called China Threat, and flare up tension and confrontation, only to create an excuse to break Japan’s pacifist constitution, pass the security bills and lift bans on exercising the right of collective self-defense.  On matters bearing on international justice, the international community must explicitly oppose these negative acts of Japan. One must not forget that the policy of appeasement by some countries was an important reason for Japan to launch and expand the war of aggression against China seven decades ago. Today, all countries need to bear in mind the lessons of history and do nothing to rear a tiger only to invite disaster for themselves and others. 

铭记历史、开创未来，必须维护二战胜利成果和国际秩序。常言道，根基不牢，地动山摇。亚洲和世界的持久和平，维系于二战胜利成果和国际秩序基石。这就是二战结束前夕美英中苏等国发表的《联合国家共同宣言》、《关于普遍安全的宣言》、《开罗宣言》、《波茨坦公告》等国际文件对二战性质的定论，即日本发动的对华战争和太平洋战争是侵略战争；这就是近代日本侵略、掠夺中国领土的事实和日本归还其从中国窃取的东北、台湾、澎湖列岛等神圣领土的法律依据和规定；这就是《联合国宪章》确立的战后国际秩序所必须遵循的宗旨和原则，以及联合国维护战后国际秩序的作用和使命。日本种种倒行逆施，从根子上讲，就是动摇和颠覆二战胜利成果和战后国际秩序。而维护还是否定二战胜利成果和战后国际秩序，也成为有关各方较量的焦点和本质。作为战后国际秩序的主要缔造者之一，中国有权利、有责任同国际社会一道，维护二战胜利成果，巩固战后国际秩序。当年参与发表《开罗宣言》、《波茨坦公告》和《联合国宪章》的缔约国同样要站在历史的正确一边，履行责任和义务，秉持公道正义，旗帜鲜明地对一切开历史倒车的企图说不，坚定捍卫二战成果和战后国际秩序，共同维护亚太安全和世界和平，携手促进共同发展与繁荣。

To bear in mind the history and open up the future, we must uphold the victory outcomes of WWII and the post-war international order. Houses wobble on a shaky foundation. The outcomes of the victory of WWII and the post-war international order underlie lasting peace in Asia and the world at large. The international instruments signed by the U.S., UK, China and the USSR on the eve of the end of WWII, i.e., the Declaration of United Nations, the Declaration on General Security, Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, indubitably concluded that the war against China and the Pacific War launched by Japan were wars of aggression. The invasion and looting of Chinese territories by Japan are facts of modern history that brook no denial. These international instruments provide the very legal basis and obligation under which all sacred territories Japan stole from China, i.e., Northeast China, Taiwan and Penghu Islands, be returned to China. These are the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter that should be observed in the post-war international order, as well as the role and mission of the United Nations to preserve the existing international order. The perverse acts by Japan are, in essence, designed to undermine and reverse the outcomes of WWII and the post-war international order. The crux and the nature of the contest among parties concerned is whether these outcomes and the existing world order should be preserved or rejected. As a founding nation of the post-war international order, China has both the right and obligation to uphold, together with the rest of the international community, the outcomes of the war and consolidate the post-war order. Likewise, other signatories of the Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation and the United Nations Charter should stand on the right side of history and honor their responsibilities and obligations. They should uphold justice and staunchly preserve the outcomes of WWII and post-war world order by saying unequivocally No to any attempts to turn back the wheel of history. They should join efforts in safeguarding security in Asia and the Pacific and world peace and in promoting common development and prosperity.