The launch ceremony for a new book titled "A New History of World War II" was held in Athens, Greece on Thursday alongside an international academic symposium themed "Rebirth from the Ashes: Civilization and War," bringing together scholars from across the world to exchange insights on research into the history of World War II (WWII). The event aims to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, show China's latest research findings on WWII, strengthen international academic exchanges in this area, promote sharing of academic resources, and encourage mutual learning of research methodologies. Jointly organized by the Institute of World History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese School of Classical Studies in Athens, the event was attended by over 60 scholars from across the world. Many participants said the publication of "A New History of World War II" will foster in-depth discussion by historians and social scientists and help readers gain a more comprehensive understanding of the profound influences of WWII on the world today. Shotlist: Athens, Greece - Aug 28, 2025: 1. Various of event in progress, participants; 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Stelios Virvidakis, professor， University of Athens; former president, Center of Greek and Chinese Ancient Civilizations (partially overlaid with shot 3): "We in the West have not realized people who read histories (traditional histories) of the Second World War do not understand that the contribution of the Chinese people to the outcome of the war was much more significant than they would imagine. This is something that the book helps us realize very well and we should not forget that. This really means that the courage of the Chinese also helped people in the West fight the war there and eventually prevail and win."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 3. Virvidakis speaking; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 4. Guest speaking; 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ioannis Kotoulas, adjunct lecturer, University of Athens (partially overlaid with shots 6-7): "China's role in determining the outcome of World War II has been focal and this was a decisive contribution to the war effort. Chinese soldiers fought against the Japanese invaders. So, in a sense, the eastern theater of the war, let's call this, like this, was decisive in determining the outcome of World War II like the European theaters."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 6. Guests in discussion; 7. Guest speaking; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 8. Various of guests in discussion; guest speaking; 9. Participants. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]