Xi Jinping: Speech at the Commemorative Meeting Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ Participation in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea

In commemoration of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea
70th Anniversary of Overseas Operations
Speech at the Conference
(October 23, 2020)
Xi Jinping

Comrades and friends:
　　Today, we gather here in solemn commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ participation in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
　　Seventy years ago, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army, composed of outstanding sons and daughters of the Chinese nation, shouldered the solemn trust of the people and the lofty expectations of the nation. Raising high the just banner of defending peace and resisting aggression, they marched across the Yalu River with unyielding resolve and soaring spirit. Upholding the great spirit of patriotism and revolutionary heroism, they fought side by side with the Korean people and their armed forces, enduring two years and nine months of grueling, heroic combat and ultimately securing a magnificent victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
　　The great War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea repelled imperialist aggression and expansion, safeguarded the security of New China, protected the peaceful lives of the Chinese people, stabilized the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and upheld peace in Asia and the world.
　　The great victory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea will forever be inscribed in the annals of the Chinese nation and in the annals of humanity’s pursuit of peace, development, and progress!
　　—Over the past 70 years, we have never forgotten the immortal contributions of the older generation of revolutionaries in upholding international justice, safeguarding world peace, and defending the newly founded People’s Republic. We have also never lost sight of the profound significance of the momentous decision made by the Party Central Committee and Comrade Mao Zedong to dispatch the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army into combat. At this very moment, we wish to express our deepest remembrance and respect to that venerable generation of revolutionaries.
　　—Over the past 70 years, we have never forgotten the heroic sons and daughters of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army, who wrote a stirring saga that shook mountains and rivers, nor all those who contributed to the victory of this war. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission, I extend our most heartfelt greetings to all living veteran soldiers of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army, to our veteran comrades, to the wounded and disabled veterans who have been honored for their service, to the people of all ethnic groups across the country who supported the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea—especially those who served on the home front—and to the families of martyrs and military personnel of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army.
　　—Over the past 70 years, we have never forgotten the heroic martyrs who bravely gave their lives in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. More than 197,000 sons and daughters of the nation sacrificed their precious lives for the motherland, for the people, and for peace. The martyrs’ achievements will shine through the ages, and their illustrious names will be celebrated forever!
　　During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the Korean Party, government, and people showed deep concern for, care toward, and support of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army. The peoples and armed forces of China and Korea shared weal and woe, stood together in life and death, and forged a great combat friendship with their blood. All peace-loving countries and peoples, as well as friendly organizations and individuals around the world, extended strong support and assistance to the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army when it entered the war. On behalf of the Chinese Party, government, and armed forces, I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to them.
　　Comrades and friends!
　　The Chinese nation is a peace-loving nation, and the Chinese people are a peace-loving people. Since modern times, the Chinese people have suffered greatly from the aggression of foreign powers and endured the ravages of war, deeply understanding the brutality of war and the preciousness of peace. In the early days after the founding of New China, with all sectors of society in need of reconstruction and development, the Chinese people yearned more than ever for peace and tranquility. However, this aspiration was met with a brutal challenge: imperialist aggressors imposed war upon the Chinese people.
　　On June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out. Guided by its global strategic interests and Cold War mentality, the U.S. government decided to intervene militarily in the conflict and dispatched the Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait. In early October 1950, disregarding repeated warnings from the Chinese government, U.S. forces brazenly crossed the 38th parallel, bringing the war to the Sino–Korean border. U.S. aircraft invading Korea repeatedly bombed China’s northeastern border regions, inflicting severe casualties and property damage and posing a grave threat to China’s national security.
　　At this critical juncture, at the request of the DPRK Party and government, the Chinese Party and government, with extraordinary resolve and courage, made the historic decision to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, thus defending the country and safeguarding its security. On October 19, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army, under the command of Commander and Political Commissar Peng Dehuai, entered the Korean battlefield. This was a just cause undertaken by a righteous army.
　　The War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea was a modern war fought under conditions of extreme disparity in strength between the two sides. At the time, there was a vast gap in national power between China and the United States. In such an asymmetric and exceedingly difficult situation, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army, working closely with the Korean military and people, launched a series of decisive campaigns—beginning with the Battle of Two Rivers Valley, followed by the fierce fighting at Yunshan City, the major engagement along the Chongchon River, and the grueling battle around Lake Changjin—carrying out five consecutive campaigns. Subsequently, they established deep‑lying defensive positions as impregnable as fortified walls, conducted numerous offensive operations, thwarted the “strangulation campaign,” repelled the “biological warfare,” and fought bloody battles for高地岭, thereby achieving a magnificent and heroic feat of arms. The people of all ethnic groups across the country sincerely hailed the volunteer soldiers as “the most lovable people.” After arduous and extraordinary combat, the Chinese and Korean forces defeated an adversary armed to the teeth, shattered the myth of the U.S. military’s invincibility, and compelled the arrogant aggressors to sign the Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953.
　　During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the Party Central Committee maintained overall strategic oversight, implemented vigorous war mobilization and sound military guidance, and adopted the principle of fighting, stabilizing, and building in parallel. It launched a grand and sweeping campaign to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, with all the peoples of the nation united as one, providing unwavering support for this great struggle that determined the future and destiny of the country and the nation. Ultimately, through this great victory, it proclaimed to the world: “The era when Western aggressors could dominate a country simply by landing a few cannons on an eastern coast has gone forever!”
　　Comrades and friends!
　　The great victory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea stands as a declaration that, having stood up, the Chinese people have firmly taken their place in the East of the world; it marks an important milestone on the path toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and bears profound and far-reaching significance for both China and the world.
　　Through this war, the Chinese people shattered the aggressors’ scheme to station troops at China’s borders and strangle the new China in its cradle. As the saying goes, “Strike once to avert a hundred blows”; imperialism no longer dared to attempt armed aggression against the new China, and the new China truly gained a firm foothold. This war secured the safety of our mountains and rivers and the peace of our nation, fully demonstrating the unyielding, iron will of the Chinese people in the face of bullying.
　　Through this war, the Chinese people utterly banished the century-old humiliation of being at the mercy of others and forced to bow to foreign powers, and they cast off once and for all the label of “the Sick Man of East Asia.” The Chinese people truly stood tall with dignity. This war forged the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation and fully demonstrated the unyielding resilience and unity of the entire Chinese people.
　　Through this war, the Chinese people defeated the aggressors, sent shockwaves across the globe, and established the People’s Republic of China’s pivotal role in Asia and on the international stage, thereby affirming its status as a major power. This conflict earned China the respect and admiration of the entire world and vividly demonstrated the Chinese people’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding world peace.
　　Through this war, the People’s Army learned to fight by fighting, growing ever braver and stronger with each engagement, and accumulating vital military experience. It achieved a transformation from a single-service force into a combined‑arms army, thereby greatly advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces. In this conflict, the People’s Army’s combat prowess struck fear into the world, fully demonstrating its indomitable spirit and unyielding resolve to win at all costs.
　　Through this war, the strategic landscape of Asia—and indeed the entire world—was profoundly reshaped after the end of World War II. The just cause of oppressed nations and peoples worldwide in their struggle for national independence and popular liberation received a tremendous boost, powerfully advancing the cause of world peace and human progress. It demonstrated with ironclad evidence that no country, no army—no matter how powerful—can avoid suffering grievous defeat if it stands opposed to the tide of global development, resorts to bullying the weak, pursues retrograde policies, and engages in aggression and expansion. This war once again proved that justice will inevitably triumph over might, and that peaceful development is an irresistible historical trend.
　　Comrades and friends!
　　In the grand and heroic War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the heroic Chinese People’s Volunteer Army consistently upheld a patriotic spirit that placed the interests of the motherland and the people above all else, fighting fearlessly for the dignity of the motherland and the nation; a revolutionary heroism characterized by bravery, tenacity, and self‑sacrifice; a revolutionary optimism that braved hardship and adversity while maintaining high morale; a revolutionary loyalty that led them to generously devote everything to fulfilling the mission entrusted by the motherland and the people; and an internationalist spirit dedicated to the cause of world peace and justice—thus forging the great spirit of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea.
　　The great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea transcends time and space, remaining ever relevant; it must be passed down perpetually and carried forward through generations.
　　— No matter how times may change, we must steadfastly uphold the national spirit of fearlessly resisting aggression and rebelling against tyranny. Seventy years ago, imperialist aggressors brought the flames of war to the very doorstep of New China. The Chinese people have long understood that when dealing with aggressors, we must speak to them in a language they can comprehend: to stop war with war, to end armed conflict with force, and to win peace and respect through victory. The Chinese people neither provoke trouble nor shrink from it; faced with any difficulty or risk, our resolve remains unshaken, and our backbone stays unbowed. The Chinese nation is one that cannot be intimidated or crushed!
　　— No matter how times may change, we must rally the nation’s strength, united in heart and purpose. During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, under the inspiring banner of patriotism, the Chinese people stood shoulder to shoulder, sharing a common resolve and working in concert, thereby demonstrating to the world the immense power enshrined within the Chinese people and making it clear: “The Chinese people are now organized; they are not to be provoked. If provoked, the consequences will be grave.”
　　— No matter how times may change, we must forge the national spirit of fearlessness in the face of death and a willingness to live only by confronting it. On the Korean battlefield, the volunteer soldiers confronted a powerful and ferocious enemy in a harsh and brutal environment, giving their lives and spilling their blood. With “less steel but more spirit,” they triumphed over an adversary armed with overwhelming might, composing a stirring epic that shook heaven and moved spirits. Braving barrages of bullets and bombs, they charged forward with courage; enduring relentless bombardment, they held their ground; they used their chests to block gun muzzles, stood as human ladders, seized explosive packs and grenade launchers, and plunged into the enemy ranks. Enduring hunger and freezing cold, they never faltered; even when engulfed in flames, they remained steadfast, daring to engage in close‑quarters combat in the air. Among them emerged more than 300,000 heroic meritorious figures—including Yang Gensi, Huang Jiguang, and Qiu Shaoyun—and nearly 6,000 distinguished units. These heroes declared: “Behind us lies our motherland; for the peace of our country and our people, we cannot take a single step back!” Such indomitable spirit struck terror into the hearts of the enemy and moved heaven and earth.
　　— No matter how times may change, we must continue to draw upon the nation’s wisdom to uphold fundamental principles while innovating and forge ahead with courage. Those who dare to innovate advance; those who excel at creation prevail. Confronted with unfamiliar battlefields and unknown adversaries, the volunteer soldiers of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army steadfastly adhered to the principle: “You fight your way; I’ll fight mine; you drop atomic bombs, I’ll throw hand grenades,” fully bringing to bear flexible and mobile strategies and tactics. Faced with risks and challenges from all quarters, and with myriad obstacles and pressures, the Chinese people have always blazed new trails through mountains and built bridges across rivers, consistently demonstrating great wisdom and boldness, and relentlessly pioneering and forging ahead—“carving out a bloody path”!
　　Comrades and friends!
　　For more than six decades since the victory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, China has undergone unprecedented historic transformations; socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the Chinese nation has achieved a great leap forward—from standing up, to becoming prosperous, to growing strong.
　　Today, we stand at a historic juncture in the pursuit of the Two Centenary Goals. The decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects is within reach, and the prospects for fully building a modern socialist country are bright. The road ahead will not be smooth sailing. We must bear in mind the arduous journey and great triumphs of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, dare to struggle and be adept at it, press forward despite difficulties with unwavering resolve, and continue to advance the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
　　— To cherish the great victory and advance the great cause, we must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China and forge the Party into an even stronger and more robust force. The magnificent victory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea once again demonstrates that no political force can, like the Communist Party of China, spare no sacrifice and strive tirelessly for national rejuvenation and the people’s happiness, uniting and rallying hundreds of millions of people to march ever onward toward victory. As long as we remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind, comprehensively advance the new great project of Party building with a spirit of self-revolution, and continuously strengthen the Party’s political leadership, ideological guidance, capacity for mass organization, and social appeal, we will surely ensure that the Party remains the most reliable and steadfast backbone of the Chinese people!
　　— To cherish the great victory and advance the great cause, we must remain committed to a people-centered approach, doing everything for the people and relying on them in all endeavors. History is made by the people. The strength of the Communist Party of China and that of the People’s Armed Forces are rooted in the people. We must uphold the fundamental principle of serving the people wholeheartedly, strive for their interests, fulfill our responsibilities to them, and shoulder our duties with dedication. We must take the people’s aspirations for a better life as our unwavering goal, and always maintain the close, flesh-and-blood bond between the Party and the masses. As long as we steadfastly uphold the people’s standpoint and put the people first, we will surely unleash an invincible force and continue to write brilliant chapters in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
　　— To cherish the great victory and advance the great cause, we must steadfastly promote economic and social development and continuously strengthen our country’s overall national strength. Backwardness invites aggression; only through development can we achieve self‑reliance. Over the past 70-plus years since the founding of New China, our nation has, in just a few decades, accomplished a developmental journey that took developed countries centuries to complete, creating a development miracle that has captured the world’s attention. At present, China is entering a new stage of development. Faced with new opportunities and new challenges, as long as we coordinate and advance the “five-sphere integrated plan” and the “four‑pronged comprehensive strategy,” unswervingly implement the new development philosophy, and forge a new development pattern, we will surely achieve development that is higher‑quality, more efficient, more equitable, more sustainable, and safer, and continue to create even greater miracles that astonish the world!
　　— To cherish the great victory and advance the great cause, we must accelerate the modernization of national defense and the armed forces, and build the People’s Armed Forces into a world‑class military in all respects. Without a strong military, there can be no strong motherland. In upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must coordinate development and security, and balance national prosperity with a strong military. We must implement the Party’s thought on strengthening the military for the new era and the military strategic guidelines for the new era; unswervingly uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over the People’s Armed Forces; adhere to political building of the military, strengthen it through reform, science and technology, talent, and law-based governance; and comprehensively enhance our strategic capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, thus better fulfilling the missions and tasks of the People’s Armed Forces in the new era. As long as we keep pace with the times in strengthening national defense and the armed forces and march forward boldly toward the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era, we will surely provide even stronger strategic support for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
　　— To commemorate the great victory and advance the great cause, we must uphold world peace and justice and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The Chinese nation has always upheld the principle of “cherishing benevolence and fostering good-neighborly relations.” As a responsible major country, China stands firm in the common values of all humanity—peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom—and adheres to a global governance vision of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits. We remain unwavering in pursuing the path of peaceful development, open development, cooperative development, and common development. So long as we stay committed to peaceful development and work together with people around the world to build a community with a shared future for mankind, we will surely usher in a bright future of peace and development for humanity!
　　Comrades and friends!
　　The world belongs to all peoples, and the difficulties and challenges it faces require the concerted efforts of all nations, working together in solidarity. Peaceful development and win-win cooperation are the only true path forward. In today’s world, any form of unilateralism, protectionism, or extreme self-interest is utterly untenable; any attempt at coercion, blockade, or maximum pressure will inevitably fail; and any act of acting unilaterally, asserting one’s own supremacy, or engaging in hegemony, bullying, and domination is equally doomed. Not only are such approaches unsustainable—they will ultimately lead to a dead end.
　　China has consistently pursued a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and the Chinese military has always been a steadfast force for safeguarding world peace. China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion, and it firmly opposes hegemonism and power politics. We will never stand by while our national sovereignty, security, and development interests are undermined, nor will we allow any individual or force to infringe upon or split our motherland’s sacred territory. Should such a grave situation arise, the Chinese people will surely deliver a crushing blow!
　　Comrades and friends!
　　Looking back on the great War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, waged 70 years ago, and as we engage in a great struggle marked by many new historical features, with our eyes fixed on the bright prospects of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we feel profoundly resolute and supremely confident. Let us rally even more closely around the Party Central Committee, carry forward the great spirit of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, march forward with high morale and unyielding resolve, and press ahead with courage toward the new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects and toward the realization of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation!