September 18 is a date that 90 years ago witnessed Japanese imperialists launching a war of aggression against China as well as the beginning of China’s resistance against Japanese invasion, which lasted 14 years. With the support of the Institute of History of Sino-Foreign Relations at Peking University and the Institute of Northeast Asia Studies, the Institute of Area Studies Peking University (PKUIAS) held a workshop on the theme of “The September 18 Incident, the East Asian world, and changes over a century.” More than 20 scholars from well-known universities and institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, PKU, Fudan University, Nanjing University, Nankai University, Wuhan University, Northeast Normal University and Capital Normal University, were invited to conduct in-depth discussion on the theme.

Prof. Qian Chengdan, director of PKUIAS, pointed out in his speech that the 90th anniversary of the September 18 Incident was of great commemorative significance for China and the world; the incident changed not only the landscape of East Asia and the world at that time, but also the direction of China’s destiny. He said that the workshop would be an academic feast as well as a summary of the development and changes of Chinese history over the past 100 years. In the face of the changes unprecedented in over a century, in-depth discussion of the September 18 Incident and its historical influence on the changes would hold very important academic significance and practical value for reference.

Focusing on “September 18th Incident and China,” Prof. Han Dongyu gave a comprehensive introduction to the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in Northeast China, including a discussion of how Ma Zhanshan (a prominent Chinese army general who was opposed to the growing influence of the Japanese forces in China) and his troops persisted in the resistance against the aggression, and the story of heroic Yang Jingyu. Prof. Peng Dunwen paid close attention to the influence of the “September 18 Incident” on the political system of the National Government of the Republic of China, and discussed the process of the so-called “Figure Head” system from its design to its implementation. Prof. Zhang Sheng reported the truth about the trip made by the Lytton Commission to Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing, and analyzed the characteristics of the “weak country diplomacy” of the National Government of the Republic of China. Research Fellow Hou Zhongjun demonstrated the then-government’s diplomatic response to the League of Nations and major powers after the September 18th Incident by analyzing the diplomatic documents of the UK, US and other countries.

Regarding “September 18 Incident and Japan,” Prof. Chen Qianping expressed his belief that the incident was the beginning of not only Japan’s war of aggression against China, but also the second climax of foreign powers’ annexing of China’s territory, and gave a detailed presentation and analysis of the French invasion of China’s Nansha Islands as an example. Prof. Xu Yong discussed the evolution of Japanese military-government relations after the September 18th Incident, expressing his belief that military fascism most appropriately described Japanese fascism, and that it was also the institutional reason for Japan to launch and expand the war of aggression against China. Prof. Song Zhiyong reported on an important purpose of Japan’s launch of the incident—to take precautions against the Communist Party and fight against the Soviet Union. Starting from the Japanese ruling group’s ideology and pragmatism, he analyzed the implementation of measures to achieve this purpose.

Focusing on “September 18 Incident and the East Asian world,” Prof. Ma Jianbiao linked the occurrence of the incident to the collapse of the Washington System, showing the complex relationship between American capital and international politics as well as the influence of personal emotions on American diplomatic strategies. Prof. Yu Tiejun discussed the international background of the September 18 Incident and the international impact it produced. Research Fellow Zhang Junyi described the US official response to the September 18 Incident and the activities of the Northeast China investigation team composed of US diplomats and analyzed the characteristics of the US policy toward China. Prof. Wu Jingping said that the best Sino-US relations since modern times were seen during World War II. With the common goal of defeating fascism, both sides weighed cooperation against competition.

Regarding “September 18 Incident and the changes that have happened over a century since then,” Prof. Xu Lan, from the perspective of the history of international relations, pointed out that the incident was the historical node of the European powers’ retreat from the Far East region, and the UK’s compromise with Japan was a precursor to its later appeasement policy toward Japan. Research Fellow Wang Chaoguang analyzed the changes in the international landscape of East Asia after the September 18th Incident from international system, economic, and nationalism factors. Research Fellow Yang Bojiang opined that the September 18 Incident promoted the development of global collective security thinking and opened the starting point for the great changes that happened over the following century. He also discussed the transformation of capitalist mode of production and concepts during the century of great changes. Prof. Tang Liguo expressed his view that the 100 years before the outbreak of September 18 Incident saw the changes of the modernization of East Asia led by Japan, and that the 100 years after the incident was an era mirroring China’s gradual embarking on the road of rising and realizing national rejuvenation. Regarding the academic research on the September 18th Incident, Research Fellow Gao Shihua opined that the domestic academia still needs to strengthen comprehensiveness and in-depth research to overcome its shortcomings in systematicness and continuity. He also pointed out several aspects that needed to be strengthened in the research on the history of Chinese resistance against Japanese invasion.

Based on their comprehensive discussions, experts at the workshop agreed that although the September 18th Incident occurred 90 years ago, history remains the best textbook and a dose of sobriety; in the journey of the great rejuvenation of Chinese nation and in the face of the changes unprecedented in over a century since then, we should “learn from history to create the future,” continue to strengthen scientific research, and strive to improve China’s research level and discourse power on historical issues between China and Japan, including the September 18 Incident, from the three major systems of academics, disciplines and discourse.