A senior Party official has called for greater unity among the Chinese people to strive for national rejuvenation, at a ceremony on Thursday to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the beginning of China's whole-nation resistance war against Japanese aggression.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the ceremony at the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression near Lugou Bridge in Beijing.

Lugou Bridge is where the historic Lugou Bridge Incident took place, in which Japanese forces used a pretext to launch an attack. The incident on July 7, 1937, is recognized as the start of Japan's full-scale invasion and China's whole-nation resistance war against the Japanese invaders.

Noting that the Chinese people had demonstrated an unyielding spirit during the incident, Wang said the ceremony is aimed to carry forward the great spirit and remember this period of history with a view to accomplishing more achievements in the new era.

He also underlined the importance of adhering to the path of peaceful development, urging greater contributions to peace, development and the progress of humanity.

Around 300 people, including veteran representatives and family members of military leaders and martyrs in the war, attended the ceremony. Attendees offered floral tributes and paid their respects to those who laid down their lives in fighting Japanese aggression 85 years ago.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) is the great victory of the Chinese people, during which the CPC played a mainstay role.

It was also a significant part of the global war against fascism, Zhao said, urging the Japanese side to earnestly face up to and reflect on history and take a path of peaceful development with concrete actions.