Bob Carr, Dan Andrews Invited to CCP Military Parade: Carr Says ‘Yes’
Udumbara
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has extended invitations to former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The program includes a military parade in Tiananmen Square and address by CCP leader Xi Jinping on Sept. 3.
Former New Zealand Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key have also been invited.
Carr: Attendance Serves Australia’s Interests
Labor Party elder Carr, who also served as premier of New South Wales, told the ABC he would be attending.“The Chinese victory over Japan is a historic event worth celebrating,” Carr said.
He dismissed concerns about the presence of leaders from nations not aligned with Australian democratic values, stressing that he would advocate for his country’s interests.
“It’s in Australia’s interest to work for a good relationship with China and I don’t apologise for one moment for making my contribution,” he said.
Carr added that he would cover his own expenses for the visit.
The invitation follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Beijing earlier this year, where he met CCP leader Xi to try strengthen trade ties.
Yet it came amid a backdrop of CCP intimidation with three warships circumnavigating Australia earlier this year, little progress on the detention of academic Yang Hengjun, and a spike in transnational repression in America and Australia.
The Second Sino-Japanese War, which the CCP calls the “Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression” saw the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) unite with the CCP on paper to fight off the Japanese.
However, while the KMT bore the brunt of the fighting (and casualties), the CCP deliberately avoided directly confronting the Japanese, and instead, focused on rebuilding its army and influence in rural China.
