This article appeared in History of War magazine issue 151. On 2 September 1945, Japanese forces officially surrendered to the Republic of China, ending the brutal occupation which began in 1937.

BEIJING — For President Donald Trump, global power may boil down to the United States and China — what he calls the “G2,” or Group of Two. But China is less enamored with the idea, at least publicly.

Arguments about history are proliferating as the postwar order led by the United States crumbles. By Katrin Bennhold I’m the host of The World. In September, China held a military parade to ...