China held a massive military parade in Central Beijing on Wednesday, commemorating the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II, pledging its country’s commitment to peaceful development in a world filled with turbulence and uncertainty, Xinhua reported.
The towering structure, shaped like a large wall, crowned with the enormous numbers “1945” and “2025”, stands in Heaven’s Square, symbolizing the courage of the Chinese state and solidarity in resisting foreign invasions.
President Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Committee, overseeing the parade and reviewing the military.
Standing next to Xi in Tian’anmen Rostrum were Russian President Vladimir Putin and the highest leader of the Democratic Republic of Korea, Kim Jong-sen, and more than 20 other foreign leaders who attended the Shanghai Cooperative Organization Summit held in Tianjin earlier this week.
Representatives of those who supported China’s resistance efforts, or their families from countries such as Russia, the US, the UK, France, Canada, and other countries were invited to the event.
It was the second time since 2015 that China held a military parade to mark the struggled victory in the Chinese people’s resistance war against Japanese invasion and the world anti-fascist war.
The commemorative event began at 9am with an 80 gun salute, followed by a rigorous flag-raised ceremony and an anthem chorus.
The helicopter flew over a square carrying banners that read, “Justice wins”, “Peace wins”, and “People wins”. High and well-equipped soldiers marched along Chang An Avenue in a tight and powerful formation, their faces were illuminated with confidence and pride. New tanks, artillery and other pillars of military equipment sprinted through the square.
xi gave a speech before the parade. Emphasizing the importance of victory 80 years ago, Xi said it marks China’s first complete victory over modern foreign attacks.
Xi Qingkai pointed out that the Chinese have made great contributions to the salvation of human civilization and the defense of world peace with immeasurable sacrifices in war. He called on the nation to “eliminate the root cause of war and prevent the historic tragedy from recurring.”
In his speech, XI called for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to provide strategic support for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He urged the PLA to build itself into world-class power and to decisively protect the sovereignty of the nation, unity and territorial integrity. “The Chinese nation will not be able to stop rejuvenation,” Xi added.
The 70-minute military parade demonstrated the transformation of the military from the “Kivya and the Rifle” army to the modern army. More than 10,000 soldiers, over 100 aircraft and hundreds of ground armaments organized under the wartime command system.