Second Sino-Japanese War

Japanese academic: What the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique really means

The carefully worded 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique has long been the basis of Japan-China relations, but as regional tensions mount, inherent contradictions and interpretations of the text may become more problematic, opines Japanese academic Shin Kawashima.

Shin Kawashima

29 Dec 2025

Tiananmen’s message: China reclaims war history, reshapes future order

At China’s 80th anniversary parade commemorating victory over Japan, the guest list told a deeper story — of shifting alliances, Southeast Asian courtship and Cold War echoes. Beyond ritual, Beijing signalled its claim to history and its vision for Asia’s future. Commentator Deng Yuwen tells us more.

Deng Yuwen

03 Sep 2025

China’s unfinished battle: Why Beijing can’t let go of Japan’s past

China’s struggle to move past historical trauma with Japan reveals deeper challenges in perception. Misconceptions must be separated from culture, history from present, emotion from reason, says commentator Wei Da. Time and civilisation demand that former mortal enemies learn to look beyond hatred, rebuild friendship and pursue lasting development. 

Wei Da

03 Sep 2025

As the West watches, China stages a new global order from Tiananmen

As China marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War — with no Western leaders attending — could the joint appearance of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, alongside strong global south participation, signal a shift in global alignment and power? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Sim Tze Wei analyses the optics.

Sim Tze Wei

29 Aug 2025

Victory Day parade: Will Trump join Xi in Beijing?

As China prepares for a big military parade on 3 September to commemorate its victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War, there is much speculation on whether US President Donald Trump will turn up, and what it might mean for relations with China and other countries, particularly Japan. Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu gives her take.

Yang Danxu

03 Jul 2025

[Photos] How Sichuan rose from a famine unbeknownst to the world to become a ‘Land of Abundance’ [Eye on Sichuan series]

From the Three Kingdoms and Xinhai revolution, to the establishment of communism in China and the Great Famine, Sichuan played significant roles in key parts of China’s history. Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao shares photos of those turbulent times.

Hsu Chung-mao

29 May 2025

[Photos] Collapse of the Japanese empire’s ‘Manchu dream’ in northeast China [Eye on Dongbei series]

Northeast China, also known as Dongbei, has always been a crucial region for China’s development, with every move affecting the entire Northeast Asia. Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao shares the historical events that impact us even today. This article may contain some visually disturbing images.

Hsu Chung-mao

06 Sep 2024

[Photo story] 103-year-old Flying Tiger returns to the skies

Photo collector Zou Dehuai shares his treasured collection of photos showing the life of the late Ho Weng Toh, who was until a while ago the last of the Asian Flying Tigers and a founding pilot with Singapore Airlines. As a hero that could not sit back and watch his motherland in pain, Ho’s story is one of determination and bravery.

Zou Dehuai

31 May 2024

Yuan Shikai's calligraphy on century-old plaque of old Singapore pharmacy

Yuan Shikai may be known as more of a military man and the second provisional president of the Republic of China, but he was also an accomplished calligrapher. One of his works is a plaque written for a store called Woi Fung Sheong Tim in Singapore, and after a century, it has been included in the collection of the Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng Heritage Gallery.

Lee Geok Hoon

02 Feb 2024

[Photo story] An air force pilot and his journey from Hunan to Taiwan

Photo collector Zou Dehuai shares some images from an album that previously belonged to air force pilot Liu Guoxiang, who joined the services during the war against Japan. Little is known about his work as a pilot, but he has no doubt led an interesting life, studying at a Hui Muslim middle school in Hunan, training in Chengdu and US Arizona, and withdrawing to Taiwan with the military and his family in 1949.

Zou Dehuai

13 Oct 2023

General Bai Chongxi: A father and his children [Photo story]

General Bai Chongxi was a war hero in the war against Japan, who taught his children to love their country and their roots. His fifth child Bai Xianyong would grow up to be a well-known writer, while eldest son Bai Xiandao would inherit his father's looks - and a photo album, later acquired by photograph collector Zou Dehuai, who shares some of the images within.

Zou Dehuai

21 Jul 2023

The search for Ma Tinghui: An ordinary soldier, an extraordinary life [Photo story]

Photo collector Zou Dehuai takes us through the search for Ma Tinghui, a former teacher and interpreter for the Allies with the Chinese Expeditionary Force during World War II, who also suffered much during the Cultural Revolution. While the images of him were only found after his death, his legacy lives on among his family and students.

Zou Dehuai

30 Jun 2023