In the days leading to last week's celebration of China's signal victory over Japan, the Western media also chose to forget that China had lost 20 million people in that costly war. Instead, they focused on diversions -- like which world leaders would stay away. However, it has proved impossible to fully erase China's role and sacrifice from the pages of world history today.

Dazzled by China's newly-displayed shining armor, major Western media was forced to face facts, some calling the PRC "the next superpower," although others still question the size of the PLA.

I can understand the nervousness that China causes in certain quarters as it continues to show the PLA can and will always defend the nation with all its might. However, I've never heard of the PLA being deployed to other countries in pursuit of national political objectives, taking sides in national conflicts, or bombing some part of the world into oblivion.

Instead, I hear fantastic stories -- PLA's constant and increasing deployment in search, rescue and recovery missions at home and abroad, following natural disasters.

China's role on the world stage has also been selectively screened off the radar. It was the first country to sign the UN Charter after its victory over Japan, opening the way for establishment of the United Nations. China has also contributed more troops to UN Peacekeeping Missions than all other permanent members of the UN Security Council. China's troop reductions over the years have outpaced that of all of its critics on the world stage and its commitment to world peace remains unquestioned.

We don't get to hear about that, though.

Today, the PRC is a major player on the world stage. Its every move is being carefully monitored (again by friends and foes alike), its internal economic adjustments would affect the global economy, and its foreign policy initiatives are adapting to changing times.

As a developing nation in a world where wars are launched for everything from territorial expansion and military domination to geo-economic dominance of natural resources, China has to stay vigilant. Equally, it must ensure territorial integrity where adversaries still seek to reduce the size of its natural footprint.

That continues to be the main message from last Thursday's display -- and the fact that unlike my dad's generation and mine, more people everywhere today know that China paid the price of 20 million lives to protect global peace.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://china.org.cn/opinion/earlbousquet.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.