China Leverages Historical Anniversaries to Showcase Military Might

On July 6, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) launched a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) into the Pacific Ocean. The launch received considerable coverage, but what followed the next day provided significant context. A single social media post linked the missile test to a pivotal historical event. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the likely maker of the SLBM, posted an image on Weibo to commemorate the 89th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The graphic visually connected the July 6 missile test to the incident that began the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II in the Pacific. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident of July 7, 1937, initially a small skirmish near Beijing, was initially viewed as a localized clash. However, Japan's hardline Imperial Army faction used it as a pretext to expand operations into northern China, initiating an eight-year war. In China, the date has long marked the start of the "War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," a foundational element of the country's modern national story. CASC's anniversary poster fused this history with a contemporary message. The artwork depicted the Great Wall (symbolizing China's enduring state), resistance fighters (representing the Chinese people and their sacrifices), and the July 6 launch (demonstrating China's military modernization and capability), along with the number '77' for the anniversary. The slogan "Never Forget History, Strive to Build National Strength" (勿忘历史，奋斗图强) was prominently featured. CASC's graphic clearly presented China's wartime suffering and its current military power as interconnected chapters. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regularly draws on memories of the War of Resistance to reinforce narratives of national unity and the party's achievements. CASC's merging of wartime imagery and the missile launch aligns with the "national rejuvenation" narrative, pairing memories of suffering with displays of strength, suggesting that military modernization guards against a repeat of past humiliation. Other recent PLAN activities have lent themselves to a similar narrative. On September 18, 2024, the aircraft carrier Liaoning, along with escorts, transited between Japan’s Yonaguni and Iriomote Islands en route to the Philippine Sea. This transit occurred during the Liaoning's 12th year of commissioned service. Its movements near Japanese waters coincided with the anniversary of the Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931), which justified Japan's invasion of Manchuria. This incident holds a similarly central place in Chinese memory as the beginning of "imperial Japan's invasion of China" and China's national resistance. In fact, China officially changed the start date of the War of Resistance from July 7, 1937, to September 18, 1931, in 2017. Chinese state media did not connect the 2024 Liaoning transit and the Mukden Incident anniversary. State media detailed and challenged Japanese characterizations of Liaoning’s operations, downplaying the transit as "in accordance with the annual training plan." This framing of military operations as routine avoids a provocative narrative, allowing Beijing to dispute Japanese objections to PLA actions. Online Chinese commentary, however, made the connection between the events. Nationalist commentators and ordinary users noticed the timing and treated it as further proof of China's growing edge over Japan. While historical anniversaries may not drive the timing of PLA activity, as official statements suggest the SLBM launch and carrier transit occurred per PLA schedules, history serves as a useful amplifier. PLA activity paired with historically significant anniversaries becomes a vehicle for highlighting a once-humiliated China that has grown strong and self-reliant under CCP leadership. Official channels maintain distance, leaving online commentary and other media to connect the dots. For observers, the lesson is not that the PLA schedules operations around historical anniversaries. Rather, military demonstrations can take on additional meaning when integrated into the CCP's wider narrative of national rejuvenation.