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Nanjing massacre: China's Xi Jinping leads first state commemoration Nanjing massacre: China's Xi Jinping leads first state commemoration
(35 minutes later)
Chinese President Xi Jinping has presided over his country's first state commemoration of the Nanjing massacre.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 300,000 civilians were massacred when the city was occupied by Japan's troops in 1937, although some Japanese nationalists dispute 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. President Xi told survivors that to deny a crime was to repeat it but insisted the ceremony was to promote peace, not prolong hatred.
Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years.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 The ceremony, which came on the 77th anniversary of the massacre, is part of three new public holidays intended to mark the conflict between the two countries.
At the ceremony in Nanjing, about 10,000 participants stood in silence for one minute to honour those killed. 'Aggressive wars'
They included survivors of the massacre, as well as soldiers and students. A crowd of about 10,000 people attended the event in Nanjing, taking part in a minute's silence to honour those killed. 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 denying 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. "Anyone who tries to deny the massacre will not be allowed by history, the souls of the 300,000 deceased victims, 1.3 billion Chinese people and all people loving peace and justice in the world," Mr Xi 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. But he added that China should not "bear hatred against an entire nation just because a small minority of militarists launched aggressive wars," according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
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.