bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporters

China staged a massive military parade in Beijing on Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, with much of the smog-shrouded capital city under a security lockdown.
President Xi Jinping inspected over 15,000 troops, more than 160 aircraft and 580 weapon systems in a show of the country’s growing military might and his drive to modernise the People’s Liberation Army.
He also delivered a bullish eight-minute speech hailing the accomplishments of seven decades of Communist rule and pledging to achieve his vision of a “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation and global prominence.
Here are some of the key takeaways from a day of celebration in Beijing:




A show of unity
Xi presided over the ceremony in Tiananmen Square flanked by his predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, along with other retired and present party elders.
The rare appearance of Jiang and Hu – on the rostrum of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where the country’s founding father Mao Zedong declared Communist rule on October 1, 1949 – was clearly aimed at projecting unity and solidarity in the face of daunting domestic and international challenges.
China’s National Day parade, as it happened
Hu had been absent from the funeral of former premier Li Peng in late July, although the ailing Jiang attended.
Former vice-president Zeng Qinghong and Song Ping, the oldest party elder in attendance, also appeared on the rostrum.

But notably, while former premier Wen Jiabao was present, his predecessor Zhu Rongji was not.
‘No force can shake China’
Dressed in a Mao suit, Xi’s nationally televised speech invoked China’s “century of humiliation” and praised the achievements of its people, saying there was no force that could stop it forging ahead.
“No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation from marching forward,” he said.

“The People’s Liberation Army [PLA] will serve its purpose in safeguarding the sovereignty, security and development interests of the country, and world peace,” he said, at a time when Beijing has expanded its military footprint globally, including with its first overseas military base in Djibouti.
Xi called on the Communist Party and the country to unite and continue to fight for the realisation of what he called the “Chinese dream” – the nation’s rejuvenation.
One country, two systems
Amid escalating unrest in Hong Kong, which has plunged the city into a deepening crisis and threatened to overshadow the National Day celebrations, Xi vowed that the central government would uphold “one country, two systems”.
He said the central government would protect the long-term stability of Hong Kong and Macau, and stressed the goal of “peaceful reunification” with the self-ruling Taiwan, repeating a message frequently used by his predecessors, including Deng Xiaoping, Jiang and Hu.




The theme of one country, two systems later appeared in a National Day parade for the first time, with placards forming the words: “Hong Kong’s tomorrow will be better.”
Hong Kong Chief Executive Cheng Yuet-ngor attended the ceremony, as did 10 Hong Kong police officers involved in suppressing anti-government protests in the city.
Showing off new weapons
China’s advancement in military weaponry was on full display, with almost half of the items featured being shown to the public for the first time.

The morning’s celebrations included an 80-minute military parade – the biggest since the founding of the People’s Republic – in an apparent effort to showcase the prowess of the PLA, the world’s biggest military with 2 million personnel.
Among the weapons shown were DF series missiles, including the DF-17, a nuclear-capable glider that has the capacity to strike the US mainland, and the DF-41, which has a range of up to 15,000km, making it the world’s longest-range military missile.
Signalling Xi’s status
A 100,000-strong civilian parade featuring huge portraits of Xi and predecessors including Mao, Deng, Jiang and Hu wrapped up the morning celebration.
The procession was divided into three parts, representing three eras of the People’s Republic: the Mao era, Deng’s reform and opening up, and Xi’s era, which seeks global prominence on a par with that of the United States.
Xi appeared keen to project his supreme status in the party, reinforced since he abolished the constitutional term limit a year ago, allowing him potentially to remain leader for life.
He waved at his own portrait, unveiled alongside a sign reading “Carry out Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”.


Coronavirus crisis: how China hit the fast track to a multi-cloud future for remote working

Why China has no use for democracy: India has shown the pitfalls of Western values

World Cup winners again: why nothing succeeds like China’s women’s volleyball team

The tweet that threatened to derail NBA’s decades-long relationship with China, its most lucrative overseas market

People’s Republic of China at 70

Military advances and Xi Jinping’s supreme status among the themes as Beijing celebrates National Day

Military vehicles carry DF-17 missiles capable of reaching the US mainland during the parade to mark 70 years of the People’s Republic. Photo: AP

(191001) -- BEIJING, Oct. 1, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at a grand rally to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese troops march during a military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on October 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. (Photo by Greg BAKER / AFP)

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, center, attends the the celebration to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Xi Jinping to outline his vision of a strong China in grand National Day celebration

President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 30, 2019. Photo: AFP

(091001) -- BEIJING, Oct. 1, 2009 (Xinhua) -- A giant portrait of Chinese President Hu Jintao is paraded during the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on Chang'an Street in central Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009. (Xinhua/Zhao Yingquan)(gj)

Chinese fighter jets seen in skies over Beijing as preparations for National Day parade step up

Chinese J-10 jets perform at the Dubai air show in 2017. Photo: AFP

epa06514107 (FILE) - China's new J-20 stealth fighter flies during an airshow at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China, 01 November 2016, (reissued 11 February 2018). Media reports on 11 February 2018 state that the J-20 stealth aircraft developed by China has been placed into combat service. EPA-EFE/YhC *** Local Caption *** 53099406

China says National Day military parade ‘won’t disappoint’ in scale or advanced weapons

President Xi Jinping inspects troops during a parade in 2015 to mark the defeat of Japan in World War II. Next week’s National Day event will be the biggest ever. Photo: Xinhua

epa07843185 A picture taken with a mobile phone shows a Chinese military vehicle driving on a street as a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldier stands guard in Beijing, China, early 15 September 2019. Many of the streets in central Beijing were closed off this weekend for a rehearsal of a huge military parade on 01 October 2019 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of People's Republic of China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY

News

China

Politics


70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China marked by its biggest ever military parade and huge civilian parade
Xi says no force can stop China ‘marching forward’ and vows to protect the long-term stability of Hong Kong



President says no force can stop China ‘marching forward’ and vows to protect the long-term stability of Hong Kong, before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China is marked by its biggest ever military parade.


Xi Jinping

Military advances and Xi Jinping’s supreme status among the themes as Beijing celebrates National Day

70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China marked by its biggest ever military parade and huge civilian parade Xi says no force can stop China ‘marching forward’ and vows to protect the long-term stability of Hong Kong

70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China marked by its biggest ever military parade and huge civilian parade

Xi says no force can stop China ‘marching forward’ and vows to protect the long-term stability of Hong Kong