There was a recent forum in Moscow, Russia, to give scholars of Sino-Soviet relations from a dozen institutions in China and Russia a chance to talk about how the two countries worked together during World War II, May 5-6.

The head of the Russian Academy of Sciences Far East Division told the gathering that the victory in World War II helped raise the status of both China and the Soviet Union internationally, and that had to do with the cooperation both countries showed.

Zang Yunhun, of Peking University, gave an illustration of how Sino-Soviet relations go back to the 1930s by explaining, "The fact of the Japanese annexation of Manchuria and further moves into the mainland in the 1930s and 1940s meant that China formed a rapid alliance with the Soviet Union."

Many of the participants were interested in the impact World War II has had on Northeast Asia and the world order and the significant role that both China and the Soviet Union played in stopping the war.

The hosts of this forum, which came just a few days ahead of Russia's giant celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory in WW II, were China's Jilin University, in Jilin province in the northeast and the Russian Academy of Sciences Far East Division.