China's WWII 'Victory' Parade Showcases Military Strength

China's WWII 'Victory' Parade Showcases Military Strength

William Ide and Saibal Dasgupta, Voice of America

A relentless stream of tanks, ballistic missiles, and goose-stepping soldiers paraded into Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Thursday in a massive display of military strength meant to commemorate the victory over Japan in World War II.

Chinese President Xi Jinping used the occasion to announce that over 300,000 troops will be cut from the People's Liberation Army, the world's largest. In a speech kicking off the parade, Xi said the move is a demonstration that China is devoted to peace.

"In the interest of peace, China will remain committed to peaceful development. We Chinese love peace. No matter how much stronger it may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion," said the Chinese president.

It is the fourth major reduction in troops since the 1980s for the PLA, which currently has 2.3 million members.

Earlier, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan welcomed dozens of world leaders to the event, which celebrates what China calls the Victory of the People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War.

The parade started with a 70-gun salute, a ceremonial flag-raising, and then Xi's speech, which mainly focused on the suffering imposed by Japanese troops during their occupation of much of China in the 1930s and 1940s.

"We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace," Xi said, adding that the best way to honor those who lost their lives in World War II was to prevent historical tragedies from repeating themselves.

"The unyielding Chinese people fought gallantly and finally won total victory against the Japanese militarist aggressors, thus preserving China's 5,000-year-old civilization and upholding the cause of peace," he said.

Chinese leaders say the event is being held to remember history and uphold peace, though the extravagant spectacle is also aimed at showcasing China's military power as well as its economic and growing political influence.

Military Power on Display

Over 12,000 troops marched into Tiananmen, followed by an impressive array of tanks, drones, fighter jets, and nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles. Ahead of the parade, state media had said that 84 percent of the equipment on display would be making its public debut.

Among the most notable weapons displayed was the Dongfeng-21D, which state media has described as the "carrier killer," and that is seen as an effective weapon to counteract U.S. aircraft carriers in the region.

Following the nearly hour-long parade, more than 10,000 doves along with thousands of multi-colored balloons were released into the sky, a message of peace that stood in stark contrast to the previous displays of militarism.

The display, which has been accompanied by extensive security measures and transportation restrictions, is not sitting well with some in the capital, and is likely to fuel more unease among the country’s neighbors.

Beijing Lockdown

To host the parade, Beijing has had to shut down large parts of the city and has ordered the closure of thousands of factories, construction sites and power plants in and around the capital to keep the air clean and pollution away.

The city also has instituted a range of stringent restrictions over the past few weeks, ranging from limits on when citizens can drive their cars to orders that shops be closed.

Many foreign tourists visiting the city have arrived to find out they could no longer visit major attractions because of the parade. One tourist from Australia, on his first visit to the country, said he found out when he was on his way to Beijing. Hotels near where the parade is taking place have seen their business slump.

Authorities have not disclosed the overall cost of the event. Little has been said about what the government might do to compensate businesses ordered to close. State media directives have instead said reporting on the event should focus on the positives.

Social Media Monitored

To make sure that is the case, social media posts were being monitored and scrubbed with extra care.

Many censored postings that could be seen on the website Freeweibo.com talked about the cost of the event to taxpayers and the inconveniences it was bringing.

“Have you really asked taxpayers how they feel about this?” one post read, in response to a state media article that sought to justify the expense.

Another echoed: “How was the whole decision to host the parade approved? How much does it really cost?”

Many streets in the heart of Beijing were unusually empty in the run-up to the parade. The doors of many shops were closed and sealed with white paper strips.

Although some have expressed excitement about the event and said they were enjoying the cleaner air and relaxed feel of the city, others were not as certain about the benefits.

One man, surnamed Xie, said the only significance of the parade for him was that it was making transportation more difficult.

“The parade is more about showing China’s strength,” he said. “But if you want to be strong, just focus on making yourself stronger.”

Zhang, a young man who had traveled to Beijing, said he was hoping to find a way to watch the parade. When asked whether he felt patriotic about the parade, he said: “I hadn’t really thought about that. I am just interested in seeing the whole parade.”

Bad Timing

The parade is being hosted as China’s stock market has plunged and as a flurry of bad economic data has raised concerns about the true state of its economy. The poor performance of the stock market here and surprise devaluation of the country’s currency have shaken global markets and commodity prices.

However, Zhang Yunling, director of international relations at the government-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, did not see any contradiction in hosting the parade in the midst of bad news about the economy and stock market.

“Some people may be asking why China is spending so much money during the economic slowdown, but the parade was planned long before these developments took place,” Zhang said. “Besides, the cost is very little compared to the huge size of the Chinese economy.”

Arms Race

Some analysts, however, said that more than giving assurances about China’s economic and international influence, the parade is expected to raise concerns among the country’s neighbors, including Japan and India.

The world’s military experts will be watching the parade closely to get a better view of the weapons. In particular, Dipankar Banerjee, a retired major general in the Indian army and a mentor at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in New Delhi, said experts would be looking at the display of mobile intercontinental missiles, which reportedly can travel 8,000 kilometers and are capable of hitting targets in the United States.

Tensions in the South China Sea and East China Sea already have resulted in an arms race, and the parade is likely to enhance the trend.

“China’s number one aim is to threaten Japan. It also wants to demonstrate the success of its military modernization program,” Banerjee said.

It is also trying to build an arms market, analysts said.

The Chinese academy's Zhang said Japan might use the parade as an opportunity to further bolster its argument for military spending, "but [Prime Minister Shinzo] Abe will have to consider the rising tide of anger against his militarization program.”

Others, such as Chen Yinghe, secretary and research fellow at the government-backed Sino-Japan Communication Center, argued that the parade could help silence long-standing complaints about the Chinese military’s lack of transparency.

“The parade is the answer. After the parade, no one can complain about transparency,” Chen said.