(MENAFN) China observed the 88th anniversary of the outbreak of war with Japan on Monday, according to media.

President Xi Jinping, who also leads the Communist Party of China (CPC) as general secretary, honored the fallen in what was described as a “major campaign in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression” during a visit to Yangquan, a city in northern Shanxi province.

As reported by media, the conflict—referred to in China as the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression—was the earliest to erupt and the longest to continue among battles in the broader World Anti-Fascist War. The war caused more than 35 million military and civilian casualties in China.

The Chinese government refers to World War II as the World Anti-Fascist War.

In Beijing, officials commemorated the occasion with a ceremony held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, took part in the memorial event.

“When Japanese militarists launched their invasion of China 88 years ago, the Chinese military and people rose up in resistance, initiating a war effort constituted by the whole nation that opened the main Eastern battlefield in the global war against fascism,” said Cai.

The Chinese population, Cai emphasized, “eventually won the war and made a significant contribution to the victory in the global war against fascism,” while also praising the CPC for “bravely” standing on “front lines of the resistance.”

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