New York [US], May 8: Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to arrive in Russia today for a four-day state visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Where he will attend celebrations marking the Great Patriotic War Victory.
The visit, steeped in symbolism, comes at a time when debates over the interpretation of WWII history are intensifying, with both China and Russia accusing Western powers of distorting historical facts to serve present-day political agendas.
Russian Academic and current affairs commentator, Andrey Kortunov says that Xi's attendance at Russia's Victory Day celebrations highlights a growing alignment between Beijing and Moscow not only in geopolitics but also in their shared effort to defend their historical narratives.
In an article broadcast via the China Global Television Network (CGTN), he says that both nations bore staggering human and material costs in WWII as China lost an estimated 35 million people, while the Soviet Union suffered 27 million casualties, far surpassing the losses of any other country.
Yet, Kortunov highlights, both China and the Kremlin's sacrifices have been increasingly downplayed or sidelined in Western narratives that credit the Allied victory mainly to the U.S. and Western Europe.
The current affairs commentator says the narrative equating Nazis and Soviets is nonsensical because it completely ignores the history of fascism in Europe and repeated attempts by Moscow to convince London, Paris and Warsaw to form an alliance against it.
"This is more than a ceremonial visit. It's a powerful message that China and Russia are determined to assert their rightful place in the memory of WWII, at a moment when historical revisionism is on the rise."
Beijing and Moscow have long criticized what they see as Western efforts to equate Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, particularly narratives that frame the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact as a joint Soviet-Nazi plot to start the war.
Russian officials argue that such views ignore prior Western appeasement of Hitler, most notably the 1938 Munich Agreement, which ceded Czechoslovakian territory to Germany and left Moscow's calls for a unified anti-fascist front unanswered.
Russian academic, Andrey Kortunov notes that the portrayal of WWII as a simple battle between 'heroic liberal forces' and the Axis powers erases the pivotal contributions of Soviet and Chinese forces.
"As well as communist-led resistance movements across Europe. It is a distortion that suits contemporary political narratives but disrespects historical truth."
Kortunov adds that another typical distortion of history is the selective portrayal of the victims of the war, often shaped by a distinctly Eurocentric perspective, while the immense suffering of non-European populations frequently receives far less recognition.
He points out that every human life is of equal value, and all victims deserve empathy. Even those who served in the German and Japanese armed forces during WWII should not be indiscriminately labeled as criminals; the notion of "collective guilt" must not override the principle of individual responsibility for verifiable war crimes.
The current affairs commentator notes that history should be approached with integrity, not as a tool to justify current political positions and a balanced national narrative includes both triumphs and failures
He says the two leaders meeting is also likely to emphasize the importance of resisting what both nations describe as 'historical falsifications.'
Historians warn that as World War II fades further into the past, there is growing concern that historical revisionism could inflame tensions between the East and West at a time of already heightened geopolitical friction.
"This isn't just about history books, it's about how nations remember WWII shapes current alliances, informs foreign policy, and even justifies military strategies. When history is manipulated, the consequences are real and dangerous."
The visit also offers Xi and Putin a platform to project unity in a multipolar world order that challenges U.S. and Western dominance.
The Russian analyst says the two leaders will likely reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and resistance to perceived Western hegemony, with WWII history serving as a rallying point for broader ideological alignment.
As Xi joins the Victory Day events, amid growing global rifts and ideological divides, China and Russia are doubling down on their shared past to chart a common future, one where their version of history plays a central role.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
