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| Nanjing massacre: China's Xi Jinping leads first state commemoration | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Chinese President Xi Jinping has presided over his country's first state commemoration of the Nanjing massacre. | |
| China says some 300,000 civilians were massacred in the city after its occupation by Japanese troops in 1937, although Japan disputes this. | China says some 300,000 civilians were massacred in the city after its occupation by Japanese troops in 1937, although Japan disputes this. |
| The ceremony on the 77th anniversary of the massacre is part of three new public holidays intended to mark Japan's conflict with China. | |
| Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years. | |
| They have clashed over island territory in the East China Sea as well as over Japan's insistence on honouring its war dead, including convicted war criminals, at the Yasukuni shrine. | They have clashed over island territory in the East China Sea as well as over Japan's insistence on honouring its war dead, including convicted war criminals, at the Yasukuni shrine. |
| Deniers criticised | Deniers criticised |
| At the ceremony in Nanjing, about 10,000 participants stood in silence for one minute to honour those killed. | |
| They included survivors of the massacre, as well as soldiers and students. | They included survivors of the massacre, as well as soldiers and students. |
| In a speech at the event, Mr Xi criticised Japanese nationalists for seeking to deny the atrocity took place. | In a speech at the event, Mr Xi criticised Japanese nationalists for seeking to deny the atrocity took place. |
| "Those who uphold justice and love peace must be highly vigilant and firmly oppose those wrong words and deeds," he said. | "Those who uphold justice and love peace must be highly vigilant and firmly oppose those wrong words and deeds," he said. |
| The event was designed to "arouse every kind person's longing for and adherence to peace, and not to perpetuate hatred", Mr Xi added. | The event was designed to "arouse every kind person's longing for and adherence to peace, and not to perpetuate hatred", Mr Xi added. |
| Millions of Chinese people were killed when Japan occupied China in the 1930s and 1940s. | Millions of Chinese people were killed when Japan occupied China in the 1930s and 1940s. |