A look at the past illuminates the way forward for China and the United States. The end of World War II should have marked the beginning of a new era of cooperation. The practice of strategic necessity — i.e., the Sino-Soviet division — led China to re-link with the United States. The postwar shielding of Japanese war criminals may have been in America’s interest during the Cold War, but it was an enormous blow to moral credibility. The sacrifices of millions, the heroism of Chinese and American fighters and the indomitable hope for peace are not ghosts of the past but stars pointing the way to the future.