Everyone at NYU Shanghai knows September 3rd was the 70th anniversary of the end of Japanese aggression during World War II. If the international students missed watching the ceremony with their Chinese roommates, then they would have seen it broadcasted from the little white TV monitors peppered throughout the metro lines on our day off. However, what many of us may not know is just who was sitting under Beijing's noticeably blue sky the day of the event—a particular guest whose presence should have been and must be of great importance to all those concerned by aggression in our world: Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide against the people of Darfur. The Court first issued a warrant for his arrest in 2009. However, hiding behind his own and other countries' borders, he has eluded capture. Though China has neither signed nor ratified the Rome Statute, the founding document of the ICC, she is obligated as a UN member state and member of the Security Council by the first article of the UN Charter—which President Xi cited in his speech—to "take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression." Al-Bashir's presence at the 70th anniversary event was not only an insult to Darfuris, but also to the millions of innocent Chinese people killed during WWII, be it infamously at Nanjing or elsewhere. To stand in solidarity with the victims of Japanese aggression is to stand in solidarity with the 400,00 killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur. To do one and not the other denies the universality of injustice and the shared experience of victims of atrocity. During his speech to the nation, President Xi announced that China would reduce its nearly 3 million strong military by 300,000. But how can we applaud this effort to demilitarize if the Chinese government supports murderers like Omar al-Bashir? Surely China is not alone in having questionable friends—the United States also has yet to ratify the Rome Statute. But the simple act of denying al-Bashir’s attendance, as opposed to a minor cutting of the armed forces, would have sent a much more meaningful message to the world of China’s genuine concern for peace, which at least seemed to be the focus of the September 3rd event. If peace was not the focus, then what else is a reduction of the world’s largest military but an attempt by the Party to gain face and save money? And what else would al-Bashir’s presence have signified but one ally’s glorifying of another ally’s power, in this case a power that reassures al-Bashir of his freedom. China has great potential to harness her authority. She is richer than ever before, proud of her history once more, and free of Western imperialism. On the eve of the 70th anniversary before a full auditorium at NYU Shanghai, distinguished professor of Chinese history Dr. Chen Jian commended China’s decision to "stand on the right side of history" and oppose the Japanese Empire—a decision that placed her in the diplomatic in-crowd post WWII. Because of her choice, Dr. Chen says, "China is in a privileged position to create a more peaceful world." He could not be more right. The time has come for China to choose again. Will she embrace war criminals and genocidaires like Omar al-Bashir? Will she place herself outside an international legal regime strengthened by the ICC that could have perhaps stopped the very aggressors who tried to destroy her 70 years ago? Or will she fulfill her duties as a world leader in culture, economics, and education, and stand on the side of justice and peace? The choice is left to the Chinese youth, students like those at NYU Shanghai who sat and watched the parade with their roommates from overseas. Instead of witnessing history, let us learn together to make it in the name of peace. This article was written by Anthony Comeau. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Creative Commons