Trump could be in China for Sept. 3 WW2 commemoration & military parade, Chinese opinion leaders suggest

Wang Xiangwei says Beijing and Washington can remember WW2 together. Jin Canrong claims Xi, Trump, and Putin together would "inject a force of peace and stability" into the world.

Wang Xiaowei, former editor in chief of the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s English-language paper of record, and now Associate Professor of Practice at a Hong Kong journalism school, said on Twitter/X on June 24:

My latest #ThoughtoftheDayonChina: Should China invite Trump to participate in the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory against Japanese aggression on September 3? It should, but it is unlikely that it will, which is a great shame.

China has invited a number of world leaders including Putin. But the ceremony will not be complete without the U.S. The U.S. was once one of China's staunchest allies during World War II, providing vital military, financial, and economic aid.

Today, however, the relationship has evolved into one characterized by competition, and some even describe it as adversarial. Nonetheless, this shift should not overshadow the importance of remembering the crucial partnership that helped bring an end to World War II.

Later that day, Guancha, a popular and influential Chinese mainland news portal often described as nationalist, platformed a similar recommendation from Jin Canrong in Beijing.

Jin is Professor and Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China (RUC). Before joining RUC, he worked at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) from 1987 to 2002. He is also a public opinion leader in China, with his views frequently featured in Chinese media. He commands a following of 3.63 million on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter/X.

Guancha published an essay based on its interview with Jin on its site and broadcasted his video message on Weibo to its 20-million-strong followers there. The central theme is that China should invite Trump to visit on September 3, which Trump can schedule.

Below is an excerpt of Jin’s essay via Guancha, where he clarified that it is his “personal thoughts, with no special background.”

金灿荣：特朗普总统，访华行程何不选在九月三日？

Jin Canrong: President Trump, why not schedule your visit to China on September 3rd?

Just two days ago, on June 22, Russia confirmed that President Putin will visit China at the end of August, and the visit will be a relatively long one, lasting a total of four days. One important part of the itinerary is his participation in the grand military parade on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

This will be President Putin’s return visit. Earlier, on May 9, during the Red Square parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, President Xi Jinping attended the event. According to the customary practice, President Putin will now make a return visit to China.

So, why don’t we amplify the positive signal even further? As we all know, on June 5, the Chinese and U.S. heads of state held a phone call that lasted a considerable amount of time, about one and a half hours. They discussed many issues, and one piece of information confirmed by both sides was that President Xi Jinping extended a welcome to President Trump for a future visit to China.

Can we combine these two events? Could we invite President Trump and his wife to attend the September 3 parade celebrating the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression? During World War II, from 1941 to 1945, China and the U.S. were allies in resisting Japanese militarism, and together they defeated it, bringing peace to Asia, to the Pacific, and to the world. Therefore, this day deserves to be commemorated jointly by China, the U.S., and Russia.

At that time, the U.S. provided much assistance to China, offering loans and weapons, including the Flying Tigers. And the Chinese people treated them very well in return. That period of history represents China and the U.S. working together to resist Japanese militarist aggression, a history that both nations should cherish.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance. If President Trump and his wife Melania could time their visit to China to coincide with this occasion and attend the grand military parade, it would certainly add meaning to the event, reminding us of the once strong partnership between China and the U.S. Moreover, because China and the U.S. joined forces to defeat Japanese militarism, we can further associate this with the idea that whenever China and the U.S. unite, many opponents fall short—just as Japanese militarism was defeated. On the other hand, if China and the U.S. were to fight against each other, it would cause harm not only to both sides but also to the whole world, as seen in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, where the U.S. may have suffered even more.

Therefore, if President Trump could visit China on September 3 with his wife, I believe it would be a great opportunity. I saw that President Trump was quite excited when he received the invitation on June 5, particularly happy about it. He probably really wants to visit China. President Trump, since you are planning to come this year, why not align your visit with the September 3 commemoration? This would not only highlight the deep friendship between China and the U.S. in history but also inject a force of peace and stability into the current international situation.

This is also the practical significance of President Trump attending the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance. If the leaders of China, the U.S., and Russia were to stand together during the military parade, it would be a great boon for the world. These three countries are the most powerful nations in terms of comprehensive national strength. If their leaders could solve problems in a peaceful and friendly manner, all the warmongers in the world would have to calm down. It would also inject peace and stability into the next phase of global development and play a significant role in addressing the current turmoil in the international situation.

Of course, these are just my personal thoughts, with no special background, but I believe this is a great opportunity. We must surely commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance seriously and grandly this year. This is a fixed event. President Putin will certainly participate, so on that day, the Chinese and Russian heads of state will stand together.

If we could invite President Trump, we would allow both nations to relive the glorious history of defeating Japanese militarism together from 1941 to 1945, reminding us of the great cooperative history between our two countries and urging us not to fall into conflict. I believe this would be a tremendous benefit for China-U.S. relations, regional stability, and world peace.

On June 5, Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald J. Trump held a phone call. The Chinese readout said “President Xi welcomed President Trump to visit China again, for which President Trump expressed heartfelt appreciation.” Trump said on social media “During the conversation, President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated. As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing.”