中国邀请美国飞虎队后代出席抗战纪念活动(美中報道）
Exclusive by South China Morning Post: China invites descendants of US Flying Tigers who fought Japan to mark end of World War II（Relatives of Claire Lee Chennault,commander of the volunteer air corps,are among those invited to next month's commemorations in Beijing）
中国政府邀请曾与日本交战的美国飞虎队后代参加二战胜利日纪念活动（美国志愿航空队指挥官克莱尔·李·陈纳德的亲属受邀参加下个月在北京举办的纪念活动）
China has invited descendants of the American Flying Tigers to Beijing for the commemoration of the end of World War II,according to people familiar with the situation.
据悉中国政府已经邀请美国飞虎队的后裔来北京参加纪念第二次世界大战胜利的活动。
A soursce said they include Cynthia Chennault,the daughter of Claire Lee Chennault who commanded the volunteers who helped in China's fight against Japan,and one of his granddaughters,Nell Calloway.
在这些飞虎队的后裔中，包括指挥美国志愿航空队协助中国抵御日本侵略的飞虎队创建者陈纳德的女儿辛西娅·陈纳德，以及陈纳德的外孙女尼尔·凯乐威。
The Flying Tigers,officially known as the American Volunteer Group,were a group of pilots who were hired to fight for China-then under the rule of the Nationalists-against the Japanese invasion.
飞虎队的全称叫美国志愿航空队，是一支受雇于中国（彼时为国民党统治时期），为中国抵抗日本侵略而作战的航空兵队伍。
The Tigers fought the better-equipped Japanese air force over the skies of China and Southeast Asia between late1941and the summer of1942,when they were formally incorporated into the US Air Force to continue the fight.
他们被正式编入美国空军后继续参加作战。1941年末至1942年夏，他们在中国和东南亚上空与装备精良的日本空军交战。
The invitations were extended under the name of the National People's Congress,China's legislature,and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries,a semi-official body set up to improve relations with other countries,the source said.
邀请函是以中国立法机构全国人民代表大会和中国人民对外友好协会的名义对外发出，中国人民对外友好协会作为一个半官方机构，旨在增进和改善与其他国家的关系。
China announced in June that it would hold a series of events to commemorate the80th anniversary of the end of the conflict.
今年六月中国政府宣布将举办一系列纪念抗战胜利80周年的活动。
These will include a military parade in Tiananmen Square on September3,an event foreign visitors will be invited to watch,according to the source.
包括9月3日在北京天安门广场举行的阅兵式，参加纪念活动的国外来宾将受邀观礼。
Wu zeke,deputy head of the operations bureau at the Central Military Commossion's Joint Staff Department,said the parade was intended to highlight the historical significance of the war of resistance against Japanese aggression-China's preferred term for the conflict-and Beijing's will to"resolutely defend"the post-war order.
中央军委联合参谋部作战局副局长吴泽棵指出，阅兵式旨在彰显抗日战争的历史意义，以及北京“坚决捍卫”战后秩序的决心。
China held its first Victory Day parade in September2015,featuring thousands of troops,when more than100foreign guests or relatives of veterans from15countries were honoured.
2015年9月，中国举行了首届以数千名军旅仪仗队组成的胜利日阅兵式，来自15个国家的100多位国外来宾或老兵家属获得了表彰。
That included US veterans who fought with the Chinese people in defending the invasions of the Japanese in the1940s,as well as families from Canada and Russia.
其中包括在20世纪40年代与中国人民并肩作战、共同抗击日本侵略者的美国老兵，以及来自加拿大和俄罗斯的家庭。
This year's commemoration takes place at a tense time in the relationship between China and the United States.
今年的纪念活动是在中美局势相对紧张的情况下举办的。
Beijing has increasingly looked to the Flying Tigers and other similar examples of historical cooperation as a way of improving relations today-particularly people-to-people exchanges,which have largely stalled since the pandemic.
自疫情以来，尤其是民间交往受到极大影响，我国愈来愈注重把飞虎队及其他相关的合作经历作为改善当今中美关系的历史教材。
Last month Xie Feng,China's ambassador to the US,sent a video message to a group of American students and teachers visiting the western region of Xinjiang,telling them the spirit of the air corps"embodies the courage and commitment of China and the US in defending paece".
中国驻美大使谢锋上个月给正在新疆西部地区参观访问的美国师生发送了一段视频信息，告诉他们空军的精神“体现了中国和美国共同守护和平的勇气和决心。”
"It remains a cherished legacy of both China and the United States-past,present,and future."he said.
“这依然是中美两国在过去、现在和将来都值得珍视的宝贵遗产。”他说。
(原创香港南华早报)
