BEIJING: China will hold a massive military parade on Wednesday, exhibiting its missiles, fighter jets, and other military hardware in the presence of global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and North Korean President Kim Jong Un.
The event marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech at the event.
The audience includes about two dozen foreign leaders from countries seeking to improve or maintain relations with the government in Beijing.
According to the Chinese government, much of the equipment included in the 70-minute parade is being revealed for the first time.
In addition to the troops, the parade will involve more than 100 aircraft and hundreds of ground armaments, all of them domestically made and battle-ready, officials said.
The “new-generation” equipment on display reflects a high degree of informatization and intelligence, underscoring our military’s ability to adapt to technological advances and evolving warfare patterns, and to win future conflicts,” said Major General Wu Zeke, deputy director of the parade.
This marks China’s first major military parade since 2019, which commemorated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.
The parade is intended to instill national pride and reassure citizens of the country’s military strength and readiness.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is making a rare foreign trip to attend. He’s being joined by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the president of Iran, among others.
China, which spends roughly one-third of the $1.3 trillion the United States allocates annually to defence, has outlined ambitious goals for its military modernization.
Beijing aims to have this modernization “basically complete” by 2035 and to build a “world-class” military by 2049.
