During World War II, China upheld human rights -- a triumph for a nation that suffered so much at the hands of its invaders, according to a human rights expert on Wednesday.

Li Junru, vice president of China Society for Human Rights Studies, made the remarks during the annual Beijing Forum on Human Rights.

While the international community is familiar with the crimes of the German and Italian forces, Li said "they are blind to the atrocities of Japan."

He said that during the Japanese invasion of China, Japan persecuted and slaughtered the Chinese people, committing atrocities such as burning people alive and rape, and depriving the Chinese people of many basic rights and dignity.

On the contrary, China tried its best to save wounded Japanese soldiers and took in and brought up abandoned Japanese children, Li noted.

Li said WWII is inseparable from the cause of human rights worldwide -- the Universal Declaration of Human Rights passed by the United Nations was by no means accidental but based on experiences, including the Chinese people's struggle.

More than 100 officials and human rights experts from more than 30 countries and regions attended the forum, which carried the theme: "Peace and Development: The Victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and Human Rights Advancement."

In a letter sent to the forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the theme will prompt deeper thinking from all parties on people's rights to peace and development.

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2015)