{"id":224894,"date":"2020-10-22T15:34:01","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T22:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=224894"},"modified":"2022-09-09T18:22:27","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T01:22:27","slug":"minitrue-commemorating-the-70th-anniversary-of-the-war-to-resist-america-and-aid-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2020\/10\/minitrue-commemorating-the-70th-anniversary-of-the-war-to-resist-america-and-aid-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Minitrue: Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the War to Resist America and Aid Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cyberspace Administration of China notice:
\n1. Regarding livestreams of the commemorative rally for the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army’s War to Resist America and Aid Korea on October 23, strictly standardize sourcing, and use the video stream from the Central Broadcast and Television General Platform. It is forbidden to change headings without authorization or activate the on-screen comments function. Keep tabs on posts and comments.
\n2. On October 23, there will be activities such as laying of wreaths at the War to Resist America and Aid Korea martyrs’ cemetery in Liaoyang and monument in Dandong, Liaoning, and the Sino-Korean Friendship Pagoda and Cemetery for the Heroes of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army in Pyongyang, North Korea. Related reports should not relay information from KCNA. (October 22, 2020) [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This week marks the 70th anniversary of China’s intervention in the Korean War in the thinly veiled guise of People’s Liberation Army units rebranded as “Chinese People’s Volunteers.” Xi Jinping began a week-long remembrance by visiting a memorial exhibit in Beijing on Monday. The Diplomat\u2019s Shannon Tiezzi analyzed the subtext of Xi\u2019s highly public visit<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

In remarks at the exhibit, Xi said, \u201cThe victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea was a victory of justice, a victory of peace and a victory of the people.\u201d He added that the spirit forged during the war \u201cwill inspire the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to overcome all difficulties and obstacles, and prevail over all enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Xi did not specifically mention what \u201cenemies\u201d China might be facing today, instead focusing on the figurative battle for the \u201cgreat rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.\u201d But the subtext was obvious from the literal backdrop to his remarks. The United States, that past enemy, looms large as a present villain. It\u2019s noteworthy that, amid the worst downturn in U.S.-China relations since at least 1989, and arguably since ties were established in 1979, Xi chose to highlight the one actual war between the two sides.<\/p>\n

As Joe Renouard and Woyu Liu noted in an earlier article for The Diplomat, in China\u2019s official narrative the Korea conflict \u201cwas not only a just war, but also a vital test for the new PRC and, ultimately, a \u2018victory\u2019 against a technologically superior foe.\u201d More specifically, \u201cIn China today, the Korean War stands as a universally understood symbol of national unity against American belligerence.\u201d That gives the Korean War a clear resonance for the current moment. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Similarly, from William Zheng at South China Morning Post<\/strong><\/a>: <\/p>\n

Junfei Wu, deputy director of Hong Kong think tank the Tianda Institute, said Xi\u2019s speech at the museum had a \u201ctwo-pronged message\u201d for domestic and overseas audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning of the Korean war, America misjudged China\u2019s determination to push them back. They thought China would not send troops into the Korean peninsula. But China did. Xi\u2019s speech and Beijing\u2019s high-profile commemorations are clear warning signals to the US not to underestimate Beijing\u2019s determination to safeguard its core interests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

[\u2026] Chen Daoyin, an independent political scientist and a former Shanghai-based professor, noted that from the Communist Party\u2019s perspective, historical narratives always needed to serve current politics. \u201cXi\u2019s historical evaluation of the Korean war corresponds to the current era of the new \u2018cold war\u2019 confrontation between China and the US,\u201d he said. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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(3\/x) You've now got top-level Party imprimatur for front page news & TV stories like this @PDChina<\/a> page, with the formal Chinese name for the Korean War (\u6297\u7f8e\u63f4\u671d\u6218\u4e89) [literally -War to Resist American Aggression and Aid Korea] repeated over and over.https:\/\/t.co\/VkF7fRhT2e<\/a><\/p>\n

— Carl Minzner (@CarlMinzner) October 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n