(Image Source: The Himalayan Times)
Today marks the 70th anniversary to the end of World War II and the Chinese victory over Japanese forces. This event was celebrated by a spectacular display of China's military might in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, in an over two hour parade.
Around 12,000 troops, 500 military vehicles and over 200 military aircraft were showcased. However, Chinese troops were not marching alone on this commemorative date: they were joined by their fellow soldiers from Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Serbia, Tajikistan and Russia. For the first time, there were also female soldiers participating in the festivities.
There was even some new military technology on display, such as the Dong Feng-21D anti-aircraft-carrier medium-range nuclear missile (‘Carrier-Killer’), which currently is the world’s only ballistic missile capable of engaging a moving target at sea.
Some 30 foreign leaders attended the memorial event, representing countries from Russia and Belarus, to Egypt, South Korea and Venezuela. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was also present, while Western and U.S. Leaders were notably absent. However, some former Western leaders and diplomats did attend, such as Tony Blair and Max Baucus (the former U.S. ambassador).
During the event, President Xi Jinping discussed the modernization of the the Chinese military along with his plan to cut down on the number of troops. “Prejudice and discrimination, hatred and war can only cause disaster and pain,” Xi said, announcing plans to reduce the number of the country’s troops by 300,000, some 13 percent of the current 2.3-million strong PLA (People's Liberation Army), as part of the country’s long-term military reform. He then stressed China's commitment to peaceful development. See Full Text of President Xi's Speech Here.
For videos, pictures and articles, see more below.
(2015 Chinese Victory Day Parade in Beijing)
(Female soldiers participate in the Victory Day parade for the first time)
WATCH ENTIRE PARADE
NEVER SEEN BEFORE WEAPONRY
PART OF PRESIDENT XI SPEECH - PLANS TO REDUCE TROOPS - (SPEECH ONLY IN CHINESE)
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Full Text of President Xi's Speech (In English)
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China marks 70th V-Day anniversary with spectacular parade (PHOTOS, VIDEO) (RT, 9-3-15)
China’s Xi uses parade to show he’s in charge and pursuing rejuvenation (Washington Post, 9-3-15)
