On 2 September 1945, after enduring 14 years of bloody struggle, the Chinese people finally succeeded in defeating the imperialist invaders, forcing Japan to sign the Instrument of Surrender, achieving a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and proclaiming the complete victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese nation thereby ushered in a historical turning point, transitioning from profound calamity to great rejuvenation and washing away a century of humiliation. The following day, the then Nationalist Government and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government decided to celebrate on a grand scale, and from then on, 3 September became the Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan. To solemnly commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan, and to highlight the tremendous contributions made by the Chinese nation in defending the cause of human peace and the fruits of civilization, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the Central Military Commission will hold a grand ceremony on the morning of 3 September 2025, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The commemorative activities include a large-scale military parade, joining hands with peace-loving countries and peoples to collectively remember history, honor the martyrs, cherish peace, and forge the future.
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, 26 foreign heads of state and government leaders will attend the commemorative activities, including President of Russia Vladimir Putin, General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong Un, King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni, President of Viet Nam Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Thongloun Sisoulith, President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli, President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukshenko, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou, President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and Acting President of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing.
In addition, at the invitation of the Chinese government, speakers of parliaments, deputy prime ministers, and high-level representatives from some countries will also attend the commemorative activities. Speakers and deputy prime ministers include: Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Woo Won-Shik, Speaker of the National Parliament of Timor Leste Maria Fernanda Lay, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Jorge Rodriguez Gómez, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Gan Kim Yong, Special Envoy of the President of Egypt and Deputy Prime Minister Kamel Al-Wazir, Chairman of the Bulgaria Socialist Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria Atanas Zafirov; while high-level representatives include: Chief Adviser to the Brazilian President Celso Amorim, Representative of the Brazilian Government and Ambassador to China Marcos Galvao, Representative of the Nicaraguan Government and President’s Adviser Laureano Ortega Murillo, Representative of the Hungarian Government and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, Major General Haszaimi, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Representative of Interim Government of Bangladesh and National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Minister of War Veterans and Rights Holders of Algeria Laid Rebiga and member of the European Parliament Ondřej Dostál.
The list of invitees to the activities also includes former statements from some countries, they are: Former Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama, former President of the Swiss Federation and Minister of Finance Ulrich Maurer, former Prime Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme, former Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Italy Massimo D’Alema, former Prime Ministers of Romania Adrian Năstase and Viorica Dăncilă, former Prime Ministers of New Zealand Helen Clark and John Key, former Foreign Minister of Australia Robert Carr, and former Premier of the Victoria State of Australia Daniel Andrews.