Xi says China's rejuvenation 'unstoppable' amid grand military display
For first time, Chinese military rolled out its most sophisticated weaponry as a show of strength at military event marking 80 years of China's victory over Japan
The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is “unstoppable”, declared Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday (September 3), even as the Asian nation unveiled the might of its military, which included some of its latest weapons like the hypersonic, laser, and long-range ballistic missiles.
China's massive military parade was held to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japanese aggression in World War II.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with other foreign leaders, attended the parade, which was not only a showcase of China’s military might but also a display of its growing diplomatic clout.
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China's military might
Addressing the event, Xi urged the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to strengthen its role as a strategic pillar for national rejuvenation and contribute to global peace and development.
For the first time, the Chinese military rolled out some of its most sophisticated weaponry in what was widely seen as a show of strength to the world, particularly the United States.
As chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the PLA’s supreme command body, Xi called on the armed forces to transform into a world-class military and resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
China, the world’s second-largest defence spender after the US, allocated US$ 250 billion to its defence budget this year.
Diplomatic spat
Besides Putin and Kim, global leaders such as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu also participated in the event.
India was represented by its Ambassador to China, Pradeep Kumar Rawat, according to sources. Notably, leaders from the US, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea chose to stay away.
The presence of foreign leaders at the parade has become a diplomatic spat between Japan and China after Tokyo urged the world leaders to refrain from attending.
China lodged a diplomatic protest with Japan for its request to the world leaders not to attend the event.
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World at crossroads
In his speech, Xi stressed that China’s victory in World War II was its first complete victory over foreign aggression in modern history.
Noting that the victory was achieved under a national united front against the Japanese aggression led by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi highlighted the immense sacrifices of the Chinese people in defending world peace and safeguarding human civilization.
“Only when nations across the world treat each other as equals, live in harmony and mutually support one another can common security be safeguarded, the root cause of war eliminated, and historical tragedies prevented from recurring,”Xi said.
Flanked by Putin and Kim, Xi noted that the world once again is at a crossroad, stating, “Today, humanity is again faced with a choice between peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, and win-win outcomes or zero-sum games.”
He pledged that China would stand “on the right side of history,” pursue peaceful development, and work with others to build “a community with a shared future for humanity.”
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Advanced weapons
He called on Chinese people of all ethnic groups to stay united and work hard under the “strong leadership” of the CPC to build a “strong country and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts”.
The parade also featured the debut of several new weapons, including the DF-5C liquid-fuelled intercontinental strategic nuclear missile.
According to state-run Global Times, the missile has an estimated range exceeding 20,000 kilometres, with superior capabilities in precision and defence penetration. It can cover the entire globe under its strike range, it quoted an expert as saying.
Other weapon systems on display included, a vehicle-based laser defence weapon, four types of aircraft carrier-based jet fighters, deep-sea drones, H-6J long-range bomber, airborne early warning aircraft, army and navy drones, DF-26D anti-ship ballistic missiles with a range of 5000 km, CJ-1000 long-range hypersonic cruise missiles, air defence systems, HQ-29 ballistic missile interceptor, ‘Carrier killer’ missiles, new battle tank Type 99B and multiple rocket launchers.
(With agency inputs)