Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that correctly understanding history is a benchmark for testing Japan's commitment to peaceful development in response to a question about Japan's recent statements on the history of World War II and the postwar international order, including its call for Russia to remove a victory monument and its claim that the "Enemy State Clauses" in the UN Charter are obsolete.

"Japan joined the UN on the premise that it acknowledged the crimes of militarism and accepted the UN Charter in its entirety," Mao said. The "Enemy State Clauses" in the UN Charter, as a special institutional arrangement concerning the defeated countries of World War II, remain valid to this day, she added.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials. Japan should draw lessons from history, make a clean break with militarism, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions, Mao said.

Global Times