TEHRAN - The Chinese embassy in Iran celebrated the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, as well as the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, at the place of the embassy in Tehran on Tuesday night.

The ceremony was attended by a number of senior officials and diplomats from Iran, China, and some other countries as well as military attachés.

Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Mr. Cong Peiwu and Defense Attaché Mr. Hu Xiao, as well as Brigadier-General Mohammad Ahadi, Chief of Defense Diplomacy and International Relations of the Iranian Armed Forces, delivered speeches at the ceremony.

Here is the text of Mr. Ambassador’s speech:

General Ahadi, Excellencies Ambassadors, Military Attachés, and Friends,

Good evening! Welcome to the Chinese Embassy in Iran. It gives me great pleasure to see so many friends, old and new, in the Embassy. Thank you for taking time to join us this evening.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

President Xi Jinping has pointed out that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order, and the Chinese military has always been a firm force in maintaining world peace. In recent years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, China's comprehensive national strength and military strength have been steadily enhanced, and its international status and influence have been continuously improved. At the same time, China adheres to the path of peaceful development, firmly opposes hegemonism and power politics, and has always been a just force in maintaining world peace.

Advocating harmony and loving peace are important elements of China's traditional culture. China, with its 5000 year plus splendid civilization history has accumulated a long-standing culture of harmony. China was once one of the most powerful countries in the world for a long time, but it has no record of colonial aggression against other countries. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China 76 years ago, China has never taken the initiative to provoke a war or occupied an inch of other countries' territory.

Learning from history and cherishing peace are the historical inspirations of the World Anti-Fascist War. Eighty years ago, China, together with the just forces around the world, fought heroically with one heart and one mind and jointly defeated the fascist forces. Under the banner of the anti-Japanese national united front advocated and established by the Communist Party of China, Chinese people at home and abroad were unprecedentedly united. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression started the earliest and lasted the longest. With a national sacrifice of more than 35 million casualties, China fought against the main forces of Japanese militarism and made great historical contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. We commemorate the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War not to continue hatred, but to learn from history, face the future, cherish peace, and avoid war, so that the people of all countries in the world can enjoy peace and tranquility forever.

Upholding justice and maintaining peace are the mission and responsibility of China as a responsible major country. President Xi Jinping has pointed out that "peace can be hoped for only when everyone cherishes and safeguards peace, and only when everyone learns the painful lessons of war". At present, transformation of a scale not seen in a century is accelerating across the world, the international situation is complex, geopolitical conflicts are lingering and escalating, and the peace deficit is increasing. President Xi Jinping has put forward the concept of building a community with a shared future for huamnity, as well as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. Emphasizing that Chinese modernization is a modernization path of peaceful development, it is to fulfill the responsibility of a major country and maintain peace and stability. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has said that "China's peaceful development is a lofty cause in human history, which is conducive to the peace and progress of all mankind".

Deepening cooperation and promoting peace are the core essence of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership. In recent years, China and Iran have deepened political mutual trust and tightened the bond of interests, playing an important role in enhancing the well-being of the two peoples and maintaining regional peace and stability. China will continue to support Iran in safeguarding national sovereignty and national dignity, support Iran in playing a constructive role in multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS.

Thank you all!

Following is the text of Defense Attaché Mr. Hu Xiao’s speech:

On the occasion of the 98th Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to your presence. At this moment, I want to use three expressions starting with “Unwavering Resolves" to conclude my feelings.

Firstly, the unwavering resolves from the Chinese PLA in making contributions to the peace of the world. Today the world is not peaceful, armed conflicts happen here and there. As an army of might, an army of civilization and an army of peace, the Chinese PLA always acts as an important power of maintaining the peace of the world, not only firmly protecting the sovereignty, safety and integrity of our homeland, but also by contributing to a safer world. China is the largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Over the past 35 years, the Chinese military has undertaken 25 UN peacekeeping missions, dispatching over 50,000 peacekeepers in total. The Chinese navy has dispatched 47 batches of escort fleets to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, providing protection for more than 1600 Chinese and foreign ships. The Chinese Navy's hospital ship "Peace Ark" has provided medical service to more than 370 thousand foreign civilians around the world.

Secondly, the unwavering resolves from Chinese Military attaché office in pushing forward the friendly relations between China and Iran. During the recent years, under the guidance of the leaders from both sides, the strategic partnership of the two countries has been stepping forward steadily. With the strong support from Iranian military, the cooperation in the field of bilateral visits, joint exercises, personnel training have been deepening continuously. We will continue to strengthen the contact with Iranian military, acting as a better bridge and messenger to improve the cooperation between China and Iran to a new level.

Thirdly, the unwavering resolves from me in developing friendship with colleagues from the Iranian military and MAAT. Since my arrival in October 2023, the officials from Iranian MOD, Chief of General Staff, office of protocol, etc, have been arranging meetings with me to push forward the bilateral cooperation. During the past two years, I have visited 30 provinces of Iran on business or leisure travel. The ancient civilization, the scenic view, the delicious food and the hardworking people of Iran have deeply impressed me. During the twelve-day war between Iran and Israel, I continued to work at Chinese Embassy. I empathize with my Iranian friends over the brutal war that caused thousands of casualties in Iran. What I want to say in particular is that all the MAAT colleagues from different countries have helped me a lot. I will continue my effort to improve the communications and cooperation with you all.

Finally, I sincerely wish all the guests a smooth work and a happy life in the future.

Thank you very much!

Addressing the same ceremony, Brigadier-General Mohammad Ahadi congratulated the Chinese People's Army Day and wish the people and armed forces of this country the best on the path of growth, progress, and excellence.

He said; “Without a doubt, the growth and prosperity of independent countries like China, which do not have an arrogant approach and propose and pursue initiatives for global peace and security, including President Xi Jinping's Global Peace Initiative, are beneficial to global peace and security, and these actions are commendable.”

Meanwhile, the “Photo Exhibition of Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World anti-Fascist War” was held on the sidelines of the ceremony.