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Hayley Wong

China will stage a military parade to commemorate the end of World War II – only the second time the event has been held – as conflicts rage around the world, including the latest between Iran and Israel.
It will take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3, a decade after the People’s Liberation Army first held a Victory Day parade.
The parade will be part of a ceremony for the 80th anniversary of the day that China marks its triumph over the Japanese invasion and the global victory against fascism, Hu Heping, deputy head of the Communist Party’s publicity department, told reporters on Tuesday.
President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech during the ceremony.
Wu Zeke, deputy head of the warfare bureau at the PLA’s Joint Staff Department, said the parade would highlight the historical significance of the Sino-Japanese war and China’s will to “resolutely defend” the post-WWII order.
Wu said the parade would also showcase the military’s combat capabilities, emerging technologies and “strategic deterrence strength”.
“On top of a new generation of traditional weapons and equipment, a range of new combat forces will participate in the parade, including unmanned intelligence, underwater combat, as well as cyber and hypersonic systems,” Wu said.
He said the PLA’s new structure would be seen in the marching units, after a series of organisational reforms since 2015.
The press briefing made no mention of any foreign militaries taking part in the parade – 17 delegations joined the 2015 event – but Wu said China “will not forget the valuable assistance and support of peace-loving countries and anti-fascist forces” during the second world war, including the former Soviet Union, the United States and Britain.
Hu said leaders and senior officials of foreign countries would be invited to the ceremony, without giving further details.
War veterans will also be invited to attend the parade, including those from the Kuomintang – the Communist Party’s rival during the Chinese civil war that ended in 1949 – but they will not march this year.


The parade, first reported by the South China Morning Post in February, will be closely watched for possible debuts of advanced new Chinese weapons.
The Kremlin confirmed on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit China from August 31 to September 3 to attend the events, as well as hold talks with President Xi Jinping on September 2.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is also expected to attend. Xi invited Lukashenko to the parade and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit when they met in Beijing earlier this month, according to Belarusian state news agency Belta.
Putin, as well as leaders from about 30 other countries, mainly in the Global South, attended China’s first Victory Day parade in 2015 for the 70th anniversary, as Beijing sought to highlight the nation’s role in defeating fascism during the war. About 12,000 troops and 200 aircraft from the PLA took part.
Since then, the PLA has only held one other military parade – in 2019 to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
From the 1980s to the 2000s, the country held one military parade each decade.
Two naval parades have also been conducted since Xi took power – in 2018 in the South China Sea, and in the Yellow Sea the following year to mark the 70th anniversary of the PLA Navy.
Xi attended the Victory Day parade in Moscow in May marking the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. China also sent honour guards to the event in the Russian capital and a similar one in Minsk.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media this month appeared to show rehearsals for the Beijing parade. A clip posted to the Chinese social media platform RedNote showed at least 45 PLA helicopters flying in formation.
The aircraft formed ceremonial patterns, including a heart, the numbers “8” and “0”, and also flew in groups of three, with each carrying red flags representing the Communist Party, the nation and the PLA.
Pictures of China’s new carrier-based fighter jets, J-15Ts, in formation are also circulating online, suggesting that the aircraft will be part of the parade.
The 2015 parade showcased advanced and new weapons of the time, including J-15 fighters, H-6K bombers and Z-10 attack helicopters.


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China to mark 80th WWII anniversary with military parade in Beijing in September

President Xi Jinping reviews troops in Tiananmen Square during the Victory Day parade in 2015. It was the last time China held a military parade to mark the day Japan officially accepted the terms of surrender imposed by the Allied Forces in the Pacific conflict. Photo: EPA

Social media videos of ‘PLA jet rehearsals’ heighten buzz over China’s Victory Day parade

A clip posted to RedNote purportedly shows PLA helicopters flying in formation, some of them carrying red flags. Photo: Handout

A KJ-600 early-warning aircraft and three J-15T shown flying together in a video posted online. Photo: Handout

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A Chinese PLA honour guard marches in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday as Vietnam celebrated National Reunification Day. Photo: Xinhua 

A Chinese PLA honour guard marches in a parade to mark the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Photo: Xinhua

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A video clip posted to Chinese social media shows what appears to be the new HQ-29 ballistic missile defence system on the move. Photo: Handout

Screenshots of the clip have been widely circulated on social media. Photo: Handout

The HQ-29 is expected to be China’s most advanced missile interceptor. Photo: Handout

‘Nothing new’: US Army parade holds no surprises for Chinese military minds

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

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Russian president among those expected to attend commemorations in the Chinese capital


Russian president among those expected to attend commemorations in the Chinese capital.


China to mark 80th WWII anniversary with military parade in Beijing in September

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Russian president among those expected to attend commemorations in the Chinese capital

Russian president among those expected to attend commemorations in the Chinese capital