- World War II claimed over 100 million lives worldwide.
- China lost more than 35 million people and endured devastating economic losses.
- Pretoria commemoration highlights shared values and a call for peace, multilateralism, and stronger Global South leadership.
At a solemn commemoration in Pretoria on Thursday, 21 August 2025, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng reminded the world that the victory against fascism 80 years ago was purchased at an unimaginable human cost.
“World War II was an unprecedented catastrophe in human history,” Wu told an audience that included South African Cabinet ministers, ANC leaders, and members of the diplomatic corps. “It touched over two billion people in more than 80 countries and caused over 100 million casualties among soldiers and civilians.”
Wu devoted much of his address to China’s central role in resisting Japanese militarism, a 14-year struggle that claimed over 35 million Chinese lives and inflicted economic losses of around 600 billion US dollars. Despite the devastation, Chinese resistance forces eliminated more than 1.5 million Japanese troops, about 70 percent of Japan’s wartime casualties.
“China bore the brunt of the fighting in Asia,” he said, “yet it still supported Allied operations in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. The world’s victory against fascism was built on shared sacrifice.”
A shared history of struggle
Wu stressed that the commemoration was not about rekindling bitterness, but about keeping alive the determination to defend peace. He reminded guests that Taiwan’s return to China was part of the post-war settlement and thanked South Africa for consistently supporting the one-China principle.
Taking the podium, Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams reflected on how China’s values of resilience, unity, and belief in a brighter future mirror South Africa’s own experience. She invoked the spirit of Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, whose leadership symbolised the country’s fight against apartheid.
“As President Xi Jinping has reminded us, justice will always triumph over oppression,” Ndabeni-Abrahams said. “South Africa treasures its partnership with China, which has grown from the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1998 into a strategic alliance anchored in BRICS, the G20, and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.”
She noted that China is now South Africa’s largest trading partner, with investments creating jobs, transferring skills, and modernising industries such as banking, telecommunications, manufacturing, and energy. Beyond trade figures, she said, the partnership fosters people-to-people connections and new opportunities for South African small businesses to participate in global value chains.
Building peace for the future
Both speakers underlined that the legacy of World War II should inspire unity in today’s volatile world. Wu emphasised the need for “true multilateralism” and building “a community with a shared future for humanity.” Ndabeni-Abrahams echoed the call, stressing that cooperation with China strengthens Africa’s development, enhances global resilience, and contributes to a fairer international order.
The event concluded with a solemn toast to sacrifice and peace. “To the great victory in the World Anti-Fascist War,” Wu said, raising his glass, “and to world peace. Cheers!”
Conviction.co.za
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