Chinese President Xi Jinping today refrained from speaking at a memorial ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre by Japanese troops, raising speculation that he did not want to upset Japan.
About 10,000 representatives from all walks of life paid silent tribute to thousands of victims of the 1937 massacre as sirens howled over the eastern city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province.
Xi, 64, along with senior officials attended the ceremony held in the square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in the Nanjing city.
Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, on December 13, 1937 and embarked on more than 40 days of slaughter.
About 300,000 civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers were brutally murdered, and over 20,000 women were raped, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Surprisingly Xi did not speak at the meeting, raising speculation that he did not like to upset Japan in the midst of efforts by both the countries to warm up to each other after a prolonged spat over the disputed islands in the East China Sea since 2012.
Asked whether Xi skipped speaking at the meeting so as not to upset Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told media briefing that "for me I don't see any links you have made. For China and Japan relations, it is important to learn from history so as to get our steps towards future".
Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Yu Zhengsheng, who spoke at the meeting, said China was holding the memorial ceremony in honour of the Nanjing massacre victims, compatriots killed by the Japanese invaders.
Yu said the ceremony was held to honour national heroes who sacrificed their lives for victory, as well as international soldiers and friends who joined the Chinese in fighting.
"The commemoration is meant to proclaim the Chinese people's firm stance on maintaining peace and their sublime aspiration for peaceful development," he said.
"War is a mirror, which makes people better understand the value of peace," Yu said.
China is involved in maritime disputes in the South and East China Seas. It claims almost all of South China Sea and has also laid claims on the Senkaku islands under the control of Japan in the East China Sea, believed to harbour vast natural resources below their seabed.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the South China Sea.
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