China has held its largest-ever military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, with a massive display of military hardware and personnel.
The parade through Tiananmen Square on Wednesday morning was overseen by Chinese President, Xi Jinping, who is also the head of the country’s military and the Chinese Communist Party.
According to Chinese military officials, much of the weaponry and equipment in the parade was being shown to the public for the first time.
This included hypersonic missiles designed to take out ships at sea. These weapons are of particular concern to the US Navy, which patrols the western Pacific from its 7th Fleet headquarters in Japan.
Also on display were underwater drones including the AJX002 and a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-61, which China says could carry nuclear warheads to distant targets.
China’s most advanced weaponry took front and centre in the parade, including a new generation of hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles, underwater drones, fighter jets, early warning aircraft and aircraft jamming systems.
Long-range intercontinental missiles – capable of delivering nuclear warheads – were also given a prominent position in the parade alongside tight formations of military personnel marching in unison before an audience of 50,000 observers.
Xi held the military parade flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
Putin and Kim, the authoritarian leaders of Russia and North Korea, are among dozens of world leaders attending the parade.
Among the other guests are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. No major western leaders are attending. Kim has been accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, images released by North Korean state news showed.
However, it was the unprecedented image of the three men chatting and shaking hands as they walked the red carpet that Analysts said sent a message of defiance to the west, as the US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.
In remarks at the parade, Xi stated that China would continue to “adhere to a path of peaceful development.”
As he spoke of China’s victory over “Japanese aggression” in the “world anti-fascist war,” he thanked foreign governments for their help. Xi did not mention the United States by name, despite the country’s prominent role in ending World War II.
The Chinese leader said that lessons from the war were as relevant now as ever.
“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum.
“The Chinese people will stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and join hands with the rest of the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity.”
Xi Jinping
Also, Xi said that China was a great nation which “is never intimidated by any bullies” in an apparent veiled reference to the US and its allies and warned that China was “unstoppable.”
He stressed that the military continues to play a vital role in China’s national rejuvenation – one of the ideological pillars of the Chinese Communist Party and Xi’s official doctrine and worldview.
Trump Responds To China’s Parade
Responding to the military parade on social media, as it got under way, US President Donald Trump said the “big question” to be answered is whether or not Xi will “mention the massive amount of support and ‘blood’ that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader.”
He added that many Americans died in China’s “quest for Victory and Glory,” saying, “May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration.”
He stressed, “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
READ ALSO: NDC’s Baidoo Wins Akwatia By-Election
