China transfers US pilots' remains

The Chinese military handed over the remains of United States pilots, who aided China during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) to the US military, in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, on Tuesday.

The remains of the US pilots, which were transferred by China to the US, had recently been recovered from areas along the Hump Route, a vital World War II aerial supply line.

The handover ceremony, which was held at the Jianchuan Museum Cluster in Chengdu, was attended by representatives of the Chinese and US militaries, and local officials.

A senior official from the Archives Bureau of the General Office of the Central Military Commission said that the handover reflects the history of Chinese and US forces fighting side by side against Japanese aggression during World War II.

The official said that Tuesday's ceremony "helps to bring these fallen heroes home and commemorates the long-standing friendship between China and the US, forged through shared hardships".

An official from the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said that the handover was the culmination of years of sustained joint efforts, adding that it was a deeply meaningful event.

The US official said that the remains represent a defining moment in history when Americans, driven by a sense of duty to resist aggression, stood alongside the Chinese people to fight a common threat.

The remains were discovered along the Hump Route, an air corridor that crossed the Himalayas into Sichuan. The route served as a supply lifeline for China from 1942 to 1945, supporting the country's resistance against Japanese aggression.

The American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, better known as the Flying Tigers, played a key role in opening and protecting the route during World War II. More than 1,700 Chinese and US aircrew members lost their lives along this vital corridor, making the Hump Route a testament to the two countries' joint efforts during the war, according to historical records.

Since the defense ministries of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2008 on military archive cooperation, bilateral cooperation in this field has continued uninterrupted. Both sides have engaged in friendly, practical and effective cooperation based on the principles of equality through consultation, mutual benefit and reciprocity, the Chinese authorities said.

Over the past 18 years, search and excavation teams have conducted field investigations in more than 100 locations across China. In addition, a growing number of volunteers have participated in the search efforts.

Fan Jianchuan, director of the Jianchuan Museum Cluster, said that the institution raised funds and assembled a professional team that conducted several expeditions into uninhabited and glacier-covered areas to search for the wreckage of US aircraft that aided China during World War II.

Fan said that the team recovered eight bone fragments during its latest expedition.

"The Chinese nation values gratitude and reciprocity, and we hope that the friendship forged between China and the US during the World Anti-Fascist War will endure," he added.

In April last year, China handed over the remains of US pilots found in Hengdong county, Hunan province. An earlier handover of such remains took place at the Jianchuan Museum Cluster in October 2015.

China is willing to continue practical cooperation with the US in this field and contribute positively to building a constructive relationship of strategic stability between the two countries, the Ministry of National Defense said.