The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council held the 11th national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Friday. The ceremony was held at the square in front of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in a solemn atmosphere, with the national flag flying at half-mast.
About 8,000 representatives from all walks of life attended the event, wearing white flowers on their chests.
The memorial ceremony began at 10:00 with the playing and singing of the Chinese national anthem.
All attendees then observed a moment of silence for the massacre victims as air-raid sirens sounded across Nanjing, vehicles halted with horns blaring, and pedestrians paused in remembrance.
After a moment of silence, eight wreaths were presented to the memorial altar by a 16-member honor guard.
Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of its Publicity Department, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.
At the memorial ceremony, 87 youth representatives from Nanjing recited the "Declaration for Peace" - a poem authored by late writer Feng Yitong (1941-2023) in 2014 in memorial of the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, and six citizen representatives struck the Bell of Peace.
In three deep tolls of the bell, 3,000 white doves, carrying sorrow for the victims and hope for world peace, were released to fly over the square.
The National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre was formally established on Feb 27, 2014, by the 7th Session of the 12th National People's Congress Standing Committee, designating December 13 as the annual observance day through legislative action.
The Nanjing Massacre, which lasted for more than 40 days following the Japanese capture of Nanjing, the then Chinese capital, on Dec 13, 1937, killed more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in the city, with 20,000 women raped.
National memorial held to mourn victims of 1937 Nanjing Massacre
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Nurlan Yermekbayev, who has been appointed as the next SCO secretary-general, in Beijing on Friday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, commended Zhang for his outstanding achievements in the development and growth of the SCO, congratulated Yermekbayev on his upcoming office, and said that China will continue providing support and convenience for the secretary-general in performing the duties and the work of the Secretariat.
Wang said that over the past three years, under the leadership of the heads of member states and the joint efforts of member states, the SCO has forged ahead with determination to upgrade cooperation and grow from strength to strength.
Noting that China now holds the rotating presidency of the SCO and is making every effort to advance its work, Wang said that the country has full confidence in the bright future of the SCO and is ready to work with other member states to build it into a force stabilizing international order, a reliable source of prosperity and rejuvenation for member states, and a happy home for people in the region.
The SCO Secretariat has accomplished much over the last three years, with the trust and care of member states and the support and assistance of China, and guided by the Shanghai spirit, Zhang said, adding that it has promoted practical cooperation in various fields, endeavored to enhance the international influence of the organization and the sense of gain felt by people in all countries, and become a clear promoter of the construction of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for all.
Yermekbayev spoke highly of China's leading role in the development of the SCO, saying that after taking office as secretary-general, he will continue to fully support the work of the Chinese presidency and work collaboratively to prepare for the SCO summit next year.
China's top diplomat meets SCO secretary-general, secretary-general-designate
