UN Secretary General explains attending military parade in China

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said looking back at the past would help countries move forward, before he attended a military parade marking the end of World War II in China.

"It is important to look back at the past, what lessons we have learned, how we move forward to a brighter future. That is the main purpose," Xinhua quoted Mr. Ban as saying today.

According to the UN Secretary-General, China's contributions and sacrifices in World War II have been recognized, China is also highly appreciated for having suffered those losses and has received sympathy and sharing from people around the world.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said countries need to look back at the past to move towards the future. Photo: NDTV

Mr Ban's comments came after Japanese media reported that the foreign ministry had expressed "firm dissatisfaction" with Mr Ban's participation in a commemoration being held by Beijing next week. Mr Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, said he was aware of the reports.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not go to Beijing to attend the commemoration of the end of World War II due to concerns about China's military buildup, several Japanese newspapers reported on August 24. Abe's concerns are similar to those of some Western leaders.

Sino-Japanese relations have been strained by Beijing's criticism of Tokyo's lack of remorse for its occupation of the country before and during the war. The two sides are also locked in a dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

Thousands of Chinese troops will march through central Beijing on September 3 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aides and other world leaders attending. Most Western leaders have declined to attend.

According to VNE