Interview: China's military parade symbolic and strategic, say Ghanaian experts

China's military parade held in Beijing on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II was both symbolic and strategic, Ghanaian experts told Xinhua here.

Dr Lloyd Adu Amoah, Assistant Professor at the Ashesi University in Accra, said the military parade allowed China to present itself as a military power that could not be toyed with or looked down upon.

"China is indicating clearly to the world that it has the capacity to defend itself: it has the necessary hardware, it has the necessary number of infantry or troops and it has the technological know-how.

"In many ways, for me, in reading the Chinese shows that they want to display to the world their capacity as a potent military force as the 21st century unfolds," he told Xinhua in an interview.

China put on a massive military parade Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese aggression.

It was a picture-perfect parade to show the world how far the country had come after a bitter victory seven decades ago, and also how far it could go for its hard-won peace and order.

President Xi Jinping announced in his speech that China would cut the number of its troops by 300,000.

For Dr Amoah, Executive Director of Strategy3, a public policy advocacy think tank based in Accra, the troops downsizing should be seen in terms of China's increasing focus on technology.

He said China had been working hard on what he called the 3G or 4G military organization, adding that there was less focus on human bodies as it were and moved focus on hi-tech command and control.

"China is saying that it is going more hi-tech when it comes to its military philosophy and focus. And so, yes, it is definitely cutting the troop numbers but that does not mean that it is not investing in other key areas like investing in aircraft carriers and state-of-the-art military planes," he said. Enditem