China to Display Military Personnel and Advanced Weapons at Grand World War II Commemoration Ceremony
China Prepares for Grand Military Parade on September 3
China is set to host a grand military parade on September 3, showcasing its latest advancements in military technology and equipment. The event, known as the "Victory Day" parade, will take place in Tiananmen Square and is expected to feature a diverse array of new and advanced weapons and equipment.
The parade will highlight China's ability to adapt to technological advancements and evolving warfare patterns. Two large-scale rehearsals for the parade have already been conducted, attended by 22,000 and 40,000 people. The exact number of troops, weapons, and equipment to be shown in the parade remains undisclosed.
One of the key attractions of the parade will be the addition to China's expanding suite of missiles, particularly anti-ship versions and weapons with hypersonic capabilities. These high-tech armaments, such as precision-strike weapons capable of travelling at five times the speed of sound, are expected to draw particular attention amid concerns from the US and its allies about China’s growing regional power projection.
The parade will also feature a host of new weapons and equipment, including trucks fitted with devices to take out drones, new tanks, and early-warning aircraft to protect China's aircraft carriers. The display will include over 100 types of domestically produced, battle-ready equipment, many making their public debut, highlighting the Chinese military’s recent modernization and enhanced combat readiness.
Military analysts abroad offer a mixed view on the parade. Some see it as a show of technological progress and deterrence intended to intimidate potential rivals through transparency. However, analysts like Drew Thompson from Singapore's RSIS caution that the parade's impressive hardware does not necessarily demonstrate the Chinese military’s operational effectiveness or readiness for actual combat. There is uncertainty about how well their diverse advanced systems could function cohesively in a real conflict.
China's neighbors and Western nations watch the event with caution, recognizing it as a significant development in China’s military power but remaining skeptical about the real combat capabilities behind the display. Thus, while the parade symbolizes China’s ambitions and advancements, it also fuels regional concern and strategic recalibrations.
In preparation for the parade, hundreds of troops have been practicing maneuvers in formation at a military camp in a northwestern suburb of Beijing. Authorities have increased security in downtown Beijing for the upcoming parade, setting up checkpoints, diverting traffic, and closing malls and office buildings.
The parade will be surveyed by President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others. Notable foreign attendees at the 2015 parade included former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former British prime minister Tony Blair. Veterans from Taiwan who fought for the Republic of China’s military also participated. Russia, Belarus, Mongolia, and Cambodia were among the countries represented in the parade.
Lan Yu, a staff sergeant who was deployed to South Sudan as part of a UN peacekeeping mission, participated in the parade rehearsals. Lan Yu stated that China is a peace-loving nation, addressing concerns about China's growing military.
This parade is the second military procession in China since 2015. Then-Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe declined to attend the 2015 parade, and many western leaders shunned the event, expressing concerns about the message China would send with its military exhibition.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-plans-military-parade-showcase-new-weapons-2021-08-05/ [2] https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/china-to-showcase-military-might-at-september-parade [3] https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3142364/china-set-stage-military-parade-showcasing-new-weapons-and [4] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56035828
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