Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the Empire of Japan’s formal surrender documents on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, on behalf of the Japanese government, on 2 September 1945.

On 2 September 2024, the United States missed opportunities to counter Communist Party of China (CPC) rhetoric that the United States seeks to contain China.

Invitations to People’s Republic of China officials to attend US sponsored events celebrating the end of China’s World War II occupation would be impossible to ignore and difficult to resist.

The messages alone could upset CPC priorities for topics to address on the day invitations arrive. Deliberating whether to decline or accept would take more time away from other issues and may provide glimpses of policy fractures among CPC members. Compelling “self-criticism,” to use the CPC’s term, of its positions regarding US sacrifices for Chinese benefit can materially advance US interests.

Even if CPC officials spurn joining celebrations, news of the events can trickle in or be pressured into readers and listeners’ minds in China. VPNs support the trickling approach. Voice of America can add force.

The United States should persistently dedicate even scant resources to undermine CPC narratives that discount the treasure, blood and lives Americans sacrificed for Chinese benefits.