BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping presided over a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday featuring fighter jets, missiles and troops as he issued a defiant warning to rivals not to challenge his country’s sovereignty. His message was underscored by the leaders gathered by his side in the viewing gallery, representing states that have challenged or questioned American dominance of the global order. He was flanked by Russian President Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, along with the leaders of Iran, Pakistan and other mostly authoritarian nations. Donning a tunic suit in the style worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Xi earlier greeted more than 25 leaders on the red carpet. Conspicuously absent were high-level representatives from major Western democracies.Cannons fired 80 times to mark the anniversary of the end of WWII, as soldiers carried a Chinese flag and marched across a red carpet covering part of Tiananmen Square. Crowds watching the parade waved small flags and saluted as the national anthem was played and the flag was raised. Later, pigeons and balloons – said to number 80,000 each – were released into the air. The parade was the highlight of a weekslong campaign by the ruling Communist Party to stoke nationalism, recast China’s role in WWII and project the party as the nation’s savior against a foreign aggressor, Imperial Japan. The evoking of wartime memories serves to rally domestic Chinese support in the face of economic uncertainty and tensions with the US, which Xi has accused of trying to contain and suppress China. “The Chinese nation is a great nation that fears no tyranny and stands firm on its own feet,” Xi declared from the rostrum of Tiananmen Gate, above a large portrait of Mao Zedong. “Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi said, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”. Later, Xi stood in the open sunroof of a Chinese-made Red Flag limousine as he reviewed People’s Liberation Army troops. He called out, “Greetings, comrades,” and “Comrades, you are working hard!” Xi’s parade was a message for the West about China’s “unstoppable” rise. It showcased new ship-destroying missiles, undersea drones and crewless combat planes that highlighted China’s investments in military innovation, as China increasingly rivals the US for military dominance of Asia.
