China marked the 88th anniversary of the Lugou, or Marco Polo, Bridge Incident on Monday with a ceremony at the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Memorial Hall on Beijing’s outskirts. Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi, the Communist Party’s fifth-ranked official, led the commemoration—an appearance by a top-tier leader that has not occurred since 2022. In a speech, Cai said the Communist Party had “fought bravely on the front line” during the 1937-45 conflict and urged citizens to carry forward what he called the great spirit of resistance. The event also opened a new exhibition titled “For National Liberation and World Peace,” which spans about 12,000 square metres and showcases more than 4,700 photographs, documents and artefacts related to the war against Japan and the broader World Anti-Fascist War. Similar memorial activities were held at sites nationwide, from Shanghai’s Sihang Warehouse to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, while state media aired veteran interviews and historical features. President Xi Jinping, who last attended the 7 July ceremony in 2014, was absent. Analysts see the high-level presence of Cai Qi as part of a broader patriotic campaign ahead of the 80th anniversary of wartime victory, which the government plans to highlight with a military parade in Beijing on 3 September. The Japanese Embassy cautioned its citizens in China to avoid drawing attention on the anniversary, citing the possibility of heightened anti-Japan sentiment.