Testament to Alliance: International Support for China and a Shared Victory

BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn:

On October 14, 1939, Grigori Kulishenko, captain of a Soviet air squadron consisting of volunteer pilots aiding the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, led his team in bringing down six Japanese fighter aircraft. While evading interception by three Japanese fighters, the engine of his bomber was severely damaged, and he himself suffered multiple wounds. Determined to protect nearby civilians and preserve the aircraft, Kulishenko risked an emergency water landing on the Yangtze River instead of parachuting to safety. Before hitting the water, Kulishenko urged his crew members to memorize the exact location of the crash so that the aircraft could be recovered afterwards — back then, aircraft were an invaluable military asset for China. One month after Kulishenko's death, the bomber was salvaged and transported to Chengdu.

While ground combat was already grueling enough, air warfare exposed an even greater vulnerability of China. During the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, professional pilots from the Soviet Volunteer Air Force and the American Volunteer Group (also known as the Flying Tigers) not only brought advanced aircraft and technological support, but also trained a generation of Chinese pilots. More than 2,000 Soviet pilots fought shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese air force, and engaged in fierce battles with the Japanese aggressors above cities such as Nanjing, Shanghai, and Wuhan. Together, they downed hundreds of Japanese aircraft, and sank or crippled nearly 100 enemy vessels. The Flying Tigers, on the other hand, assisted the Chinese air force in opening the Hump airlift route over the Himalayas, reaching altitudes of up to 7,000 meters. Dubbed the "Death Route," this aerial lifeline broke Japan's blockade, delivering over 650,000 tons of critical wartime supplies to China.

In addition to air support, countries including the U.S. and the Soviet Union also provided China with substantial military supplies and financial aid. Take the U.S., the biggest financial supporter, as an example: Statistics show that the country loaned the then Chinese government approximately 690 million USD in aid, and another 597 million USD in lend-lease support, to help stabilize China's wartime economy.

Records of wartime aid to China tell many more stories of international heroes who braved gunfire to support China. Some upheld communism, while others a simple belief in justice; some devoted themselves to saving lives and healing the wounded, some ventured deep into the war zones just to let China's true voice be heard, and some laid down their pens and picked up arms to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese people. Doctors, journalists, fighters, and many others, in the chaos of China's war-torn land, chose to stand with the Chinese people, aligning themselves with justice, peace, and hope.

China Mosaic 
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm 

Testament to Alliance: International Support for China and a Shared Victory
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2025-08/27/content_118045486.shtml 

SOURCE China.org.cn