Explain why the Communist Party aligned with the Nationalist Party (in China).

The Communist Party co-operated with the Nationalist Party
during World War II as both sides sought to put aside their ideological differences for
the time being to repel the Japanese from their homeland. The collaboration between the
two parties, however, were often merely superficial in nature. The Nationalist Party
government was inherently corrupt - supplies provided by the Allies were often not used
for war efforts against the Japanese, but were rather stockpiled in preparation for
future campaigns against the communists. Similarly, both parties pursued two drastically
different military policies in regards to the Japanese invasion. In response to Japanese
aggression, the Nationalist Party strategy was essentially a policy of retreat, whereby
space would be traded for time. On the other hand, the communists, in the form of the
Eighth Route Army, actively resisted against the Japanese, by seeking to infiltrate the
enemy forces and setting up ambushes.