Some foreign leaders' absence 'understandable'

China welcomes all foreign leaders and representatives who plan to attend its V-Day celebrations on Sept 3, and fully respects other countries' decisions if they are unable to come, a senior historian said on Friday.

Wang Chaoguang, deputy director of the Institute of Modern History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, made the remark at a news conference dealing with the upcoming events.

"Before the end of World War II, the anti-fascist alliance - which included China, the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom - did play a central role in defeating the fascist forces and claiming the ultimate triumph in 1945," Wang said.