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What is the significance of China as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in Modern Chinese History? |
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See answer below. |
The Moscow Declarations comprised four parts, namely, the Declaration of the Four Nations on General Security, the Declaration on Italy, the Declaration on Austria, and the Declaration on Atrocities. The Declaration of Four Nations on General Security stated that “an international organisation was needed to maintain international peace and security. The Moscow Declarations further advanced the founding of the United Nations”.
The United Nations Security Council, responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, is the only organ of the United Nations with the right to take mandatory actions as stated in the Charter. Hence it has far-reaching influence in the world. The Council is composed of five permanent members, including the United States, the Soviet Union (substituted by Russian Federation after its dissolution), China, Britian, and France. Besides, some non-permanent members were also appointed. The five permanent members have veto power. A negative vote from any of the permanent members will block the adoption of a draft resolution, making the five powers the most influential countries in the United Nations. Until now, the veto system remains unchanged.
From 3 May 1946 to 12 November 1948, the IMTFE consisting of 11 countries including China, the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and the Philippines tried the Japanese war criminals in Tokyo. The Chinese delegation led by Judge Mei Ru’ao attended the Tokyo Trial.
Apart from Tojo Hideki and Matsui Iwane, five more Japanese war criminals received death sentences in the IMTFE:
Itagaki Seishiro, General of the IJA, once served as the War Minister, Chief-of-Staff of the Kwantung Army and the China Expeditionary Army;
Kimura Heitaro, General of the IJA, and former Commander-in-Chief of the Burma Area Army (Burma as present-day Myanmar);
Doihara Kenji, General of the IJA, special agent, and officer of the Army-General-Staff of the IJA;
Hirota Koki, former Foreign Minister and Prime Minister of Japan;
Muto Akira, Lieutenant General, former Chief-of-Staff of the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army, and Director of the Military Affairs Bureau.
The seven war criminals mentioned above were executed by hanging on 23 December 1948. Many others were sentenced to imprisonment.
In addition to participating in the “Tokyo Trial” during the IMTFE, China also set up military tribunals to punish a batch of Japanese war criminals, including the Japanese Commanding Officer Sakai Takashi who invaded Hong Kong; Tani Hisao, the Regional Commander of Japanese 6th Division and accountable for the Nanjing Massacre; Mukai Toshiaki and Noda Tsuyoshi, Second Lieutenants raced to kill Chinese people during the Nanjing Massacre, who were sentenced to death in Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal; Tanaka Hisakazu, the Commander of the Japanese 23rd Area Army and the second Governor of the occupied Hong Kong, who received the death penalty in Guangzhou Military Tribunal (廣州行營軍事法庭). On 30 September 1946, Sakai Takashi was executed by shooting in Nanjing; on 27 March 1947, Tanaka Hisakazu was executed by shooting in Guangzhou; on 26 April 1947, Tani Hisao was executed in Nanjing; on 28 January 1948, Mukai Toshiaki and Noda Tsuyoshi were executed by shooting in Nanjing.
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What is the significance of China as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in Modern Chinese History? |
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In modern Chinese history, China was reduced from a great East Asian country to a semi-colony oppressed and exploited by the world powers since the outbreak of the First Opium War in 1840. Repeated territory cessions and indemnities made the whole country carved up into imperialist spheres of influence and the Chinese people were given a humiliating name “Sick Man of East Asia”. 14 years had gone from the day Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 to the day when Japan formally surrendered in 1945. Nevertheless, the military resistance against the Japanese invasion not only helped the Chinese people win the respect of the whole world, but also gradually changed China’s destiny for the better. At the end of 1941, China became a vital member of the world anti-fascist coalition. In 1943, China signed new treaties with the world powers such as the United States and Britain to abolish the unequal treaties signed during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Moreover, China secured a seat in the United Nations Security Council and became one of the “Big Five” after the war for advocating for and establishing the United Nations, marking the end of its hundred years of national humiliation on the world stage. |
