CHINA-JAPAN
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The 120th anniversary of the first Sino-Japanese war on July 25, 2014, according to analysts, attracted more media interest than in past years possibly because of the current strained ties between the two countries and Beijing's push to modernise its military. On July 25, the PLA Navy (PLAN)'s North Sea Fleet held a commemoration off Weihai in Shandong, where the Beiyang Fleet, which was the pride of the Chinese navy at the time but suffered heavy losses against Japanese forces, was based. At the end of the war on April 17, 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan. Xinhua quoted a PLAN Political Commissar as saying the ceremony should stir soldiers' patriotism by reminding them of past humiliations. Separately, the Chinese media pointed to remarks President Xi Jinping previously made about the anniversary. Xi Jinping said in February that China should remember the painful lesson of losing Taiwan to Japan and, later in June, noted the special meaning the anniversary carried in the traditional Chinese calendar.
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