President Park Geun-hye's presence at celebrations marking China's victory over Japan in World War II would send the message to Japan that Seoul and Beijing have a common stance on historical issues, a state-run Chinese newspaper said Friday.
  

Park will be in China from Sept. 2-4 to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the victory, though it remains undecided on whether she will attend a huge military parade that is expected to highlight the rivalry between China and Japan.
  

China's Communist Party officially describes World War II as the "War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression."
  

"The attendance of Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye at China's celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which was confirmed on Thursday, sends the message that Beijing and Seoul stand on the same ground when it comes to historical issues," the China Daily said in an editorial.
  

The editorial called the Sept. 3 events in Beijing a "historic opportunity" for South Korea, China and Japan to "look forward to forging a better future together."
  

"At this stage, regrettable as it seems, there is little chance of this desirable picture becoming a reality, because for the region to lay down the burden of history and step forward together, Japan needs to address its self-serving shortsightedness toward history," it said.
  

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a statement last week marking the 70th anniversary of the country's surrender in the war.
  

In the statement, Abe expressed deep remorse over Japan's wartime past and that previous apologies were unshakable, but stopped short of making his own apology. (Yonhap)