Cities across China commemorated the 94th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, a sinister "false flag" attack by Japanese militarists in 1931 which ultimately led to the Chinese people's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
In Nanjing City in east China's Jiangsu Province, people gathered at a memorial ceremony in the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. Participants stood in silence to pay tribute to the war's martyrs and national heroes, before a Peace Bell was struck and flowers were laid in remembrance.
Beijing's Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on Thursday hosted a concert featuring poetry recitals celebrating the spirit of the War of Resistance. The museum's themed exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which opened this summer, has now received over 800,000 visitors.
"I am very honored to have participated in the September 3 military parade at the Tian'anmen Rostrum as a volunteer. By volunteering here at the Museum of the War of Resistance, I wish to share my reflections with more people," said Zhou Tianqian, a volunteer at the museum.
In central China's Luohe City, Henan Province, air-raid sirens sounded on the morning of September 18 to mark the anniversary.
Local authorities in Luohe took the opportunity to share national defense education and emergency response training with participants at the commemoration event.
"The sounding of the alarm reminds us never to forget national humiliation. We must learn from history and cherish peace," said Du Shaojie, a local resident.
Commemorative activities were also held on Thursday in Harbin City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on the site of the former premises of Unit 731, a notorious Japanese germ-warfare that operated during World War II.
In Nanchang City in east China's Jiangxi Province, a commemoration was held at the former headquarters of the New Fourth Army, a vital force during the War of Resistance against Japanese invasion.
Schools in Shanxi, Sichuan, and other provinces organized themed events, encouraging students to remember history and draw inspiration from the past.
Cities across China commemorate 94th anniversary of Sept 18 Incident
China will strengthen fiscal and financial coordination to amplify policy effectiveness, experts said as the draft central and local budgets for 2026 were unveiled on Friday at the ongoing fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress.
According to the draft central and local budgets for 2026, 1.3 trillion yuan (190 billion U.S. dollars) of ultra-long special treasury bonds will be issued to provide continued support for the implementation of major national strategies and security capacity-building in key areas and for large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs.
Ultra-long special treasury bonds totaling 800 billion yuan will be allocated to support the implementation of major national strategies and security capacity-building in key areas, and 250 billion yuan in ultra-long special treasury bonds will be earmarked for consumer goods trade-in programs.
The country will refine these programs in terms of their scope and subsidy standards, and continue to support the scrapping and replacement of automobiles, home appliance trade-in schemes, and purchases of new digital and smart products.
China will also set up a 100-billion-yuan fiscal-financial coordination fund to boost domestic demand. The fund will support consumption and private investment through loan interest subsidies, financing guarantee, and risk compensation.
"Fiscal and monetary policies are the two major macroeconomic tools for macro-control, and their coordination is crucial. For instance, fiscal funds primarily serve as a guiding role, while financial institutions provide the capital. When fiscal guidance and financial resources are combined, the synergistic effect creates a result greater than the sum of its parts," said Yang Zhiyong, director of the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences.
"By leveraging interest subsidies, we can mobilize substantial credit from financial institutions, thereby naturally stimulating consumption. The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the People's Bank of China, has introduced highly innovative measures, such as providing guarantees for the issuance of corporate bonds by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and compensating investors for losses. I believe the leveraging effect, making minimal efforts for maximum results, will become even more potent," said Yao Dongmin, director of the Center for China Fiscal Development under the Central University of Finance and Economics.
China's top legislature opened its annual session on Thursday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders attending the opening meeting alongside more than 2,700 NPC deputies. This year's NPC session is scheduled to run till March 12.
China to strengthen fiscal, financial coordination to amplify policy effectiveness: experts
