A grand reception was held in Beijing Saturday to mark the victory of the Chinese people's resistance war against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war.
   
Addressing the reception, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao highlighted the great historic significance of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-47) to China, saying "this was a great war of national liberation, in which the Chinese people won a complete victory for the first time in nearly 100 years."
   
"This was a just, progressive war, which marked a historic defining moment of the Chinese nation from national peril to national rejuvenation," Wen said.
   
Chinese President Hu Jintao and other state leaders joined more than 2,100 war veterans, patriots from home and abroad, and foreign guests at the reception held in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
   
China's resistance war against Japanese aggression was an important part of the World Anti-fascist War. During the War, the Chinese people suffered the most, made the biggest sacrifices and fought for the longest time, said Wen, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee .
   
"The contributions made by the Chinese people to the complete victory of the World Anti-Fascist War are indelible and of historic significance," he stressed.
   
The premier called for drawing lessons from history, being forward-looking, committing to the road of peaceful development, and advancing the cause of world peace in the new century.
   
Wen urged Chinese people of all ethnic groups to invigorate national spirit with patriotism at the core and strive to develop China into a prosperous, strong, democratic and culturally advanced modern socialist country and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Wen also called people of all countries in the world to hold high the banner of peace and strive for a fair, equitable and secure new international order and for a new world of peace, amityand harmony.
   
At the reception, Hu and other leaders had warm talks with Chinese, Russian and US war veterans and other guests.
   
Hu shook hands with US war veterans, expressing his gratitude to the US people for their selfless assistance to the Chinese people during the war and his hope to carry on the friendship between the Chinese and US peoples from generation to generation.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2005)