China headlines: China's parade announcement preludes WWII anniversary

China has announced it would hold a military parade this year to mark its victory over Japan, and it will be part of the worldwide commemorative events for the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War II.

This will be the first time China has held a military parade in remembrance of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in the 1930s-40s. The People's Republic of China has held more than a dozen military parades since its founding on Oct. 1, 1949, all of them on the National Day.

The parade this year will be the first since President Xi Jinping took office.

Japan signed the formal surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, and China celebrated its victory the following day. Sept. 3 was declared victory day.

The parade will remind Chinese people living around the world of the war tragedy and inspire them to strive for national rejuvenation, said Zhu Yilong, a CPPCC member who has been living abroad for a number of years.

For Liu Li, a migrant worker and member of the National People's Congress(NPC), China's top legislature, it was exciting to learn the news about the parade.

"Many of my family members were killed by Japanese aggressors during the war. The bitter memory would never fade away," she said. "No one knows better than the Chines people that peace is the most important for human beings."

"The parade will convey to the world that China is devoted to safeguarding international order after WWII, rather challenging it," Yin Zhuo, director of the Expert Consultation Committee of the People's Liberation Army Navy, told Xinhua.

"We must learn from the experience of the war and not repeat the mistakes of the past, " said Yin, also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which opened its annual session today.

China will invite leaders from major countries to the event. Guests will also include heads of the United Nations and other international organizations, and individuals who had helped China to win the war.

Experts believe that with the presence of foreign guests, the parade could enjoy greater influence in the international arena.

The leaders of China and Russia agreed that the two countries will hold joint activities to commemorate the anniversary.

China's resistance against Japanese aggression was an important part of WWII. The parade could further underline the common memory of international cooperation, which led to peace and development, said Mao Xinyu, a military researcher and grandson of late founder of new China Mao Zedong.

Fighting between China and Japan broke out when the latter invaded northeast China in 1931, the situation further with Japan's full-scale invasion in 1937. By the end of WWII, more than 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded as a result of Japanese aggression.

Despite this China successfully blocked more than half a million Japanese troops that would otherwise have threatened India or even the United States.

"If China had surrendered in 1938, the future of Asia might have been completely different," Rana Mitter from Britain's Oxford University told Xinhua in a recent interview.

JAPAN AT CROSS ROADS

However, tensions between China and Japan remain in recent years due to territorial and wartime historical issues.

Japan's move, from its decision to "purchase" the Diaoyu Islands to denial of Najing Massacre, has led to escalation of tensions between the two countries and international worries about its political direction.

China has repeatedly expressed concern about Japan's recent conduct and political developments.

"We are very worried about Japan's political orientation. The country now stands at a crossroads of whether to maintain its pacifist constitution or revive militarism," said Qian Lihua, a political advisor and general who used to head the foreign affairs office under the Ministry of National Defense.

China-Japan relations will take another hit if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denies history or backtracks on previous statements made by former prime ministers Tomiichi Murayama and Junichiro Koizumi, who apologized for Japan's colonial rule and aggression, according to Qian.

Japan should take the history as a mirror and "follow the path of peaceful development" to win trust from the international community, Lyu Xinhua, spokesman for the third session of the 12th National Committee of the CPPCC, made the remarks at a press conference on Monday.

"In general," Lyu said, "most Japanese leaders, including the incumbent ones, have not yet reflected or apologized as deeply and sincerely as what German leaders have done over the Holocaust of Jews perpetrated by the Nazis."

Attempts, nonetheless, have been made in Japan to cover up truths of the war history, the Yasukuni Shrine, comfort women and the Nanjing Massacre, among others, which was described by Lyu as challenging justice and human conscience.

As the world commemorates this year the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, Lyu said, the Japanese government should show its sense of responsibility, take the history as a mirror and follow the path of peaceful development.

ARMY OF PEACE

China's parade may not feature the usual pomp and ceremony associated with National Day events.

Military equipment to be presented would mainly be those in active service, but it is not necessary to display all the newly developed equipment, Yin Zhuo said.

The world will see the PLA as important force of promoting peace, said Wang Xinjun, a researcher with the PLA's Academy of Military Science.

The national defense spending has seen double-digit growth for several years, but it is still lower than major powers in terms of its shares in GDP or in per capita terms.

China defense policy is purely defensive. It is the largest personnel contributor to UN peace-keeping missions among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It also regularly sends naval task forces to conduct overseas escort missions.

"For us, the parade is not aimed at prolonging hatred. Rather, it is a declaration of being united and protecting peace," Liu Li said. Endi