Honorable Mr. Antonio Cojuanco, Chairman of Manila Symphony Orchestra,

Honorable Mr. John Silva, Member of the Board of Trustees of Manila Symphony Orchestra,

尊敬的菲华各界联合会主席赵启平先生，

尊敬的各位侨领，

Dear Diplomatic Colleagues,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening!

A very warm welcome to all the distinguished guests present here today!

I would like to thank the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations of the Philippines Foundation, and acknowledge every musician and staff of Manila Symphony Orchestra, performers coming all the way from Chongqing of China, and the Young Voices of the Philippines, without whose efforts and dedication, this event would not have been possible.

As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, homage also needs to be paid to the War's brutal, sprawling, and equally vital main Eastern Battlefield.

For 14 years and more, the Chinese people fought valiantly against Japanese militarism in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, with 35 million casualties of soldiers and civilians to fracture the Axis strategy. China's resistance--the first to ignite and last to extinguish--fundamentally reshaped war trajectory and the peace that followed.

The then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt stressed for multiple times the importance of the China theater, to the effect that without China holding the line, Japan could slice through Burma, throttle India, seize Australia, and link hands with the Nazis in the Caucasus. Russia would be isolated, the Middle East oilfields lost, and the US in peril.

In the Pacific part of the war, Chinese-Filipinos and overseas Chinese stood alongside the locals in courageously resisting Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Guerrilla groups like the “Philippine-Chinese Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces” (also known as the Wha-Chi) had been organized. Wha-Chi actually was the largest and most active Chinese resistance force to fight Japanese aggression in the Philippines.

Indeed, from the Philippines to then Malaya, the heroics of the volunteer fighters, medical professionals, fundraisers and community organizers would help knit Chinese migrants--often newcomers who moved for short-term work--into the new national stories of their adopted countries.

Chinese diplomats like then Consul-General in Manila Clarence Kuangso Young (Yang Guangsheng) sacrificed life to provide cover for local Chinese communities. He and eight other colleagues were killed after detention and torture by Japanese invaders. They wrote an indelible chapter in the history of World War II with immense courage and the ultimate sacrifice.

Our wartime stature culminated in China's signature as a founding member of the United Nations on its Declaration in January 1942. We stood beside the US, the UK, and the Soviet Union-- not by patronage, but through the weight of blood shed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I suppose many of you have watched the Chinese military parade on 3rd of September. It is the day marking the formal surrender 80 years ago of Japanese army in China to the Chinese government. On the same day in 1945, the commander of the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines surrendered to American and Filipino forces at Camp John Hay in Baguio.

The military parade revealed an innovative and diverse range of weapons, demonstrating the transformation of the Chinese armed forces from a “millet-and-rifle” army to a modern military. The parade shows our resolute commitment to defending international fairness and justice, and is advocacy for the common values of humanity .

The Chinese people won the great victory through their united efforts with the anti-fascist Allied forces and the people around the world. The Chinese government and people will never forget the foreign governments and international friends who supported and assisted the Chinese people in resisting aggression.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Global governance has come to a new crossroads when new threats and challenges have been only increasing and the world has found itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently proposed at Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) which calls on all countries to work together for a more just and equitable global governance system and advancing toward a community with a shared future for humanity. Might may rule the moment, but right prevails forever. Justice, light and progress will inevitably triumph over evil, darkness, and regression. At all times, we must ensure righteousness prevails and brightness shines in our world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Chinese Cultural Courier @ the Philippines is a platform aiming at promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and Philippines. Today We are honored to present masterpieces such as the Yellow River Piano Concerto to our dear guests. The Concerto is a piece that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Chinese people during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Through the power of music, we pay tribute to the heroes of our nations and reaffirm our commitment to remembering history and promoting peace.

I hope this concert would further enhance mutual understanding between our two peoples, and that our shared memory of resisting Fascist aggression would serve as a source of strength and wisdom for a more stable and meaningful bilateral relation.

I wish this event a complete success.

Thank you all!