BEIJING, March 5 -- China pledged to hold high the banner of peace but also vowed to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and the post-war international order, according to a government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the parliament's annual session on Wednesday.

"We will safeguard the victory of Second World War and the post-war international order, and will not allow anyone to reverse the course of history," Li told the country's lawmakers at the opening of China's top legislature annual session.

"This could be the first time these words appear in China's government work report," said Wang Jianxue, vice head of China Association of Historians Studying Modern Chinese Historical Materials.

"Obviously, it shows China's firm stance and its warning to Japan," he told Xinhua.

The move came amid the mounting tension between China and Japan over the territorial and historical rows.

"The post-war international order requires that Japan should restore all the territories it has stolen from China and the Japanese war criminals should be punished," said Yin Zhuo, director of the Expert Consultation Committee of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

"When China's resolution to safeguard the post-war international order is reflected in the government work report, the country is reminding the whole world that to maintain peace and stability, such an order should be respected," added Yin, who is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, which is convening its annual session in Beijing.

China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, and fully protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and business overseas, Premier Li said Wednesday delivering the report.

China, which needs a long-term stable international environment for its modernization, will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and implement a win-win strategy of opening up, he told the nearly 3,000 deputies to the National People's Congress.

"We will strengthen friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with our neighbors," Li added.

China will play a constructive role in resolving global and hotspot issues and work to make the international order more just and equitable, he pledged.