• China held a low-key memorial for the Nanjing Massacre without President Xi Jinping.
• Tensions between China and Japan have escalated over Taiwan and historical grievances.
• Shi Taifeng warned against reviving militarism, emphasizing peace and stability.

On December 13, China held a low-key ceremony to commemorate the 1937 Nanjing Massacre at the national memorial centre in Nanjing, where President Xi Jinping notably did not attend. The commemorative event comes amid strained diplomatic relations between Beijing and Tokyo, particularly escalated by statements from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding military responses to potential Chinese actions concerning Taiwan, a territory Beijing claims as its own, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.

During the ceremony, Shi Taifeng, head of the Communist Party's organization department, stated that “history has proven and will continue to prove” that attempts to revive militarism would ultimately fail. This comment alluded to Japan's historical militarism without directly mentioning Takaichi, reflecting careful rhetoric amid escalating tensions, according to Al Jazeera and Anadolu Agency.

The event included somber public displays: sirens rang at 10:01 AM to signify a moment of silence, and attendees, dressed in dark clothing, paid tribute to the victims, while the national flag flew at half-mast. While China asserts that Japanese troops killed over 300,000 people during the massacre, Japan disputes these figures, leading to ongoing historical and diplomatic tensions, according to Anadolu Agency and Anadolu Agency.