Off the wire
• China Unicom H1 profit up 4.5 pct  • Pakistan rejects India's "advice" on avoiding meeting with Kashmir leaders  • 4 dead, 700 displaced in Philippines due to typhoon Goni  • Coca-Cola to invest 4 bln USD in China by 2017  • New Guinness world record for number of stargazers set in Australia  • Zambian defends issuance of third Eurobond  • (Recast) S.Korea warns DPRK of harsh price for any further provocations  • 1st LD Writethru: Referendum date set for Denmark's opt-out on EU justice  • China Exclusive: Japanese civilians recount childhood memories of killing, torture  • News Analysis: Pakistani, Indian security talks could be basis for future negotiations of both countries  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD-Writethru: China Headlines: Chinese military poised for V-Day parade

Xinhua, August 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Chinese soldiers have been sweating for three months over the parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on Sept. 3.

About 12,000 members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and veterans of both the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang (KMT) who fought the Japanese, will participate, Major General Qu Rui, deputy chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters of the PLA, said at a press conference Friday.

The first military parade to mark any anniversary of the war in China and the first with foreign military participation, follows 14 military parades since 1949, all marking the foundation of the People's Republic on Oct. 1. Governments from the continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania and the Americas will take part.

Deputy commander of the parade Major General Wang Shun assured journalists on Friday that foreign troops in Beijing will enjoy an pleasant stay, with buffet meals in both Chinese and Western styles and free WiFi.

The veterans, many of whom are over 90 years old and all from the Chinese mainland, will ride in mini buses in two formations, representing both the forces led by the CPC and the KMT.

There are 11 foot phalanxes, 27 armament phalanxes, ten echelon formations of aircraft and the two veteran teams. Over 80 percent of the armaments in the parade have never been seen by the public before.

Participants were selected from 2.3 million PLA soldiers. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Second Artillery Force and Armed Police will all debut their new armament, and all of the armament are made in China, added Qu.

"The armaments represent the new development, achievement and image of China's armed forces," Qu added.

Li Yingjie, deputy commander of the infantry phalanxes, said foot soldiers entered the training base on June 3 and joint training started on July 10. Li, also deputy head of the political department of the Beijing Garrison Command, praised the soldiers' diligence.

Highlight of the parade is more than 500 items of China's latest weaponry. Armaments on display will demonstrate military modernization and innovations.

More than 100 military aircraft in ten formations will fly past Tian'anmen on Sept. 3, said Yu Aishui, deputy commander of the echelons and deputy political commissar of the Beijing military region's air force.

"Training time for the parade is pressing and the task is challenging," Yu said, adding that military parade flights must be "very strict with time and space" as well as dealing with unpredictable factors such as weather. Yu's team have plans for six different meteorological conditions and more than 100 plans in 17 categories to face special situations.

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

Japan invaded northeast China in September 1931 and the full-scale invasion began on July 7, 1937, when a bridge that acted as a crucial access point to Beijing was attacked. Endi