（CCTV news）June 6, 2014 was the 70th anniversary of the World War II invasion of Normandy, better known as D-Day. The event marked the beginning of the French liberation from Nazi Germany.
President Obama participated in a group photo of world leaders attending the D-Day 70th anniversary ceremonies at Château de Bénouville in Bénouville, France.
World leaders from around the globe met in northern France to commemorate the anniversary in a series of ceremonies to honor the bravery and sacrifice of the troops that landed there all those years ago.
While China did not directly participate in the invasion, it was, at the time, locked in its own struggle with Hitler’s ally, the Japanese Empire.
In 1944, China had been at war with Japan for seven years. The country had suffered numerous atrocities and incurred great financial cost. The successful invasion on the other side of the world, however, brought renewed hope.
“1944 marks the darkest time of China fighting against Japan’s invasion. The victory of the allied troops revealed the destined failure of the axis nations to Chinese people,” said to Yang Tianshi, an honorary member of the Chinese Academy of Social Science.
The anniversary allows people of all nations to reflect on the great struggle against fascism in the 20th century and remember the sacrifices that were required to protect freedom in the world.