A major military parade was held in Beijing on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the end of World War II, as reported by the Xinhua.
The event took place on Tiananmen Square in the presence of top leaders of the country and foreign guests.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech and reviewed the parade of troops. The President of Turkmenistan and more than 20 other heads of state were on the podium next to the Chinese leader. Representatives of countries that provided assistance to China during the war, including Russia, the United States, Great Britain, France and Canada, were invited to the event.
More than 10,000 military personnel, over 100 aircraft and hundreds of units of ground equipment took part in the parade. For the first time, a new system of services and weapons of the People’s Liberation Army of China was presented, including unmanned vehicles, hypersonic missiles and strategic weapons.
In his speech, Xi Jinping stressed the importance of the victory 80 years ago, calling it China’s first complete victory in repelling an external invasion in modern history. He noted the enormous contribution of the Chinese people to the defense of peace, which cost the country 35 million casualties among the military and civilians.
The Chinese leader reaffirmed the country’s commitment to peaceful development and called on the international community to eliminate the root causes of wars. The parade was attended for the first time by Chinese UN peacekeepers, symbolizing China’s readiness to defend peace.
The parade was the second such event since 2015 and was held as part of the Chinese leadership’s course on comprehensive modernization of the country by 2035.
