00:00As China commemorates the end of the war 80 years ago, we've been speaking to the former UK government minister Vince Cable about the legacy of the conflict and China's often overlooked role.
00:11Our correspondent Li Jianhua asked him whether that shared history still carries any weight in a world shaken by tariffs and new conflicts.
00:21As far as tariffs are concerned, the main casualty of Trump's tariff war is going to be the United States.
00:28And there is a lot of, you know, I'm an economist, there's a long history of the use of protectionism and trade, and it's mainly damaging to the country that does it.
00:39And the Americans know this from their experience in the 20s and 30s.
00:44So I think people have to be a little bit level-headed about tariff war, not treat it as a tit-for-tat, recognizing that what the United States is doing is rather foolish.
00:58And self-harming, and obviously countries have got to stick up for themselves, and China's the one country so far that hasn't been willing to be bullied, and I don't think rightly,
01:09but recognizing that the main damage is with the United States.
01:15As far as our lessons from the past are concerned, what's happened in Asia, I think, unfortunately, it's been rather forgotten in Europe,
01:24but the war in East Asia, particularly Japan's invasion of China and its aftermath, was actually a major factor in the outcome,
01:37because the war with China by Japan was caused an enormous amount of casualties and horrific experience in China.
01:49But the fact that the Chinese kept fighting, whereas the empires of France, Holland, and Britain gave up,
01:58the fact that they kept fighting tied down the Japanese forces and made it possible for the West, particularly the U.S., eventually to win.
02:07And I think China's contribution in the war is something we probably don't understand enough, appreciate enough, and should revisit it.
02:19And why do you think China's role during the Second World War was underrepresented somehow?
02:24Well, I think more neglect, and of course, the war was followed by civil war, and people have perhaps focused more on the nationalists and the Communist Party's struggle.
02:38But it was a major part of our history, and actually, the war in its aftermath was one of the factors which led to the end of the British, the French, and the Dutch empires,
02:52which was a major step forward historically, and that was one of the factors which has led to Asia emerging now as probably the center of gravity of the world economy,
03:03with the rapid development that's happened, not just in China, but Vietnam, Indonesia, and now in India.
03:11Let's talk about China and the U.K. as we mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
03:17Do you believe that shared history, like both the U.K. and China fighting fascism back in the days, will hold any weight today?
03:25It should do.
03:27It didn't resonate quite as emotionally as victory in Europe, but it was important, and I think we should go back to it.
03:36And when our governments negotiate, remember that we had this common history, and actually we're fighting on the same side.
03:44And it's also, I think, a reminder that if war does break out, there are truly horrific consequences.
03:54I mean, there were tens of millions who died in the war in Asia, of course, and it finished with the use of atomic weapons, which mustn't happen again.
04:04And so it's a reminder of the work we have to do to create stable political relationships, and not let conflicts get out of control.
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