80 years on from WWII, China's interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Rana Mitter
As China prepares to commemorate
the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, what are your thoughts on the role of the conflict in shaping contemporary China?
World War II is one of the most important factors in the shaping of modern China, but it's often underestimated, both in China and the West.
This was the greatest political and economic trauma of the 20th century.
The invasion of China by Japan led to many millions of deaths. Many Chinese became refugees within their own country.
The infrastructure and the communications built in the 1920s and 1930s were largely smashed into pieces, so that was a huge influence in terms of having to start again after the war.
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