Editors note 7/31/25

It was a step toward world peace when China visited Springfield July 25. The occasion was China’s gratitude for Minnie Vautrin of the tiny town of Secor, north of Bloomington, who was a teacher in Nanjing, China, when the Japanese captured the city in 1937 and massacred thousands. In her school, Vautrin sheltered many women and children, saving them from death. On this year’s 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago bought lunch at the Illini Country Club for a group assembled by the Illinois State Historical Society. In his speech, Consul General Wang Baodong addressed issues facing today’s world. “The tragedies of history must never be repeated, and the value of peace must be firmly upheld,” he said. While the U.S. is withdrawing from international development, he emphasized China’s global development initiatives. “China resolutely opposes all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and hegemonic bullying,” he said, while expressing hope for success in current U.S.-China trade talks. “There is no winner in tariff wars or trade wars.” Negotiating with the current U.S. administration has been “difficult,” but peace can be achieved by “resolving confrontation through cooperation and replacing zero-sum competition with win-win outcomes.” From China to Springfield last week, an adult entered the room. – Fletcher Farrar, editor

This article appears in Repeat offender.