FIFTH YEAR OF WAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 24011, 8 July 1941, Page 8

FIFTH YEAR OF WAR

'CHINA'S RESISTANCE [BV TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION*] WELLINGTON, Monday The Consul-General for China in New Zealand, Mr. Wang Feng, addressing a meeting of Chinese, said that today was the beginning of the fifth year of the war of resistance against the aggression of Japanese militarism. He reminded the meeting that before peace and order could be re-established in Asia the conflict in Europe bad broken out and New Zealand was a belligerent. Mr. Feng felt sure the two peoples were nearer to each other than ever before. In thought and ideals the spirit of China's resistance was part of the world's general resistance against aggression. China had at least crippled the might of Japan so that Japan could not fulfil the programme long ago revealed in the notorious Tanaka memorial for securing the hegemony of Asia and domination of the whole Pacific.

"We must continue our struggle until aggression is ended once and for all," Mr. Feng said. "Now let us look forward to the' day when our two nations, British and Chinese, may lead the way to world democracy and a new international order "

Japan's war upon China began near Peiping on July 8, 1937. On the morning of that day Japanese troops which had been carrying out nignt manoeuvres at Lukoucniao, 20 miles west of Peiping," came into violent conflict .with a battalion of Chinese, both inflicting and suffering heavy casualties. The Japanese authorities demanded satisfaction- from General Sung Chehyuan, but he refused to take any steps save with the concurrence, of the Central Government at Nanking. After confused negotiations, during which many clashes took place between Japanese and Chinese soldiers, the Japanese on Julv 26 sent an ultimatum to General Sung, ordering him to withdraw the whole of his 29th Division. The general refused to do so, and the Japanese then opened hostilities in earnest.