China has completed a third and final full-dress rehearsal for the 3 September military parade that will mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The overnight drill in Tian’anmen Square tested the entire programme, which officials say will be the largest parade since the People’s Republic was founded. Parade organisers plan to field more than 10,000 service members, several hundred armoured vehicles and about 100 aircraft from the Army, Navy and Air Force. Bloomberg and Reuters reports, corroborated by satellite imagery, indicate that newly developed anti-ship missiles, combat drones and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles will make their public debut, alongside hypersonic weapons, early-warning aircraft and battlefield command systems that Beijing says underscore its ability to “win future wars.” A dedicated press centre opened on 27 August in Beijing’s Media Center Hotel, with more than 200 foreign and domestic journalists from over 60 countries registering for on-site briefings and field visits. Floral installations now line Chang’an Avenue, and a series of art and history exhibitions has begun in Beijing, Macao and overseas Chinese missions ahead of the commemoration. The event also carries a political message. Beijing has invited “compatriots from Taiwan” to attend, but Taiwan’s government has urged its citizens to stay away, prompting the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office to label Taipei’s stance a “grave blasphemy” against wartime martyrs. The cross-Strait exchange underscores the competing historical narratives that surround the anniversary even as China prepares its most expansive show of military strength in years.