What China is planning for its military parade

A total of 45 formations are to walk and fly across Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3 under the watchful eye of State and Party leader Xi Jinping. According to Wu Zeke from the Central Military Commission in Beijing, this includes selected units from the army, navy, air force and air defense troops.

In addition, the state leadership intends to show off hundreds of tanks and military vehicles as well as fighter planes and helicopters in the 70-minute demonstration. Numerous state guests are expected to attend, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

New weapons and troops

Photos of military vehicles on Beijing's streets with missiles or unmanned underwater systems have already been circulating on the internet. Units have been training for the parade on the outskirts of the city in the summer heat for some time.

According to Wu, all the weapons systems on display will be Chinese-made. These will include new, previously unseen equipment. Wu named drones, electronic jamming systems, hypersonic weapons as well as missile and air defense systems, among other things.

China criticized

The parade comes at a time when Beijing is increasingly building up military pressure in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait amid criticism from the West.

After the 70th anniversary in 2015, the People's Republic is holding a military parade for the second time this year to commemorate the victory over Japan in the Second World War. The last major military parade in Beijing took place in 2019. At that time, the ruling Communist Party commemorated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic in 1949.