China’s Status as a Major Power and Discourse Power in International Affairs after the Breakout of the Pacific War

After the breakout of the Anti-Japanese War, the Japanese troops flagrantly violated international conventions and carried out biochemical warfare against Chinese soldiers and civilians. The CCP appealed in 1938 to condemn the crimes of Japanese troops. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the United States and Britain held Pacific Military Meetings in Washington and London to negotiate warfares in the Pacific. As one of the “Big Four” countries, China participated in the meetings. On May 10, 1942, Winston Churchill issued a statement to stop Germany from carrying out gas warfare against the Soviet Union, without mentioning China, which greatly provoked Jiang Jieshi who considered himself as one of the leaders of the “Big Four”. He committed Song Ziwen to appeal to Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue a similar statement. After Roosevelt issued a statement to Japan on June 5, 1942, Jiang Jieshi further sought to make Gu Weijun to issue a similar statement through the Pacific Military Meetings in London. On July 14, 1942, Gu Weijun made a successful proposal, but because Churchill put aside the discussion at the meeting, Jiang Jieshi’s aim to make a public statement in London failed. In 1942, China’s endeavor to condemn Japanese troops against their biochemical warfare in 1942 was only half-successful, highlighting China’s status and power during the Anti-Japanese War. China’s series of statements to stop the biochemical warfare of the Japanese troops proved that the diplomatic efforts of weak countries, even though intertwined with the status of a mismatched “big power”, cannot gain the the right to speak on the world stage but only be a diplomatic delusion.