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Explainer | China will bring out the big guns for its military parade. What’s it all about?

Expect a lot of pomp, warplanes, tanks and goose-stepping soldiers when the PLA marks 80 years since the end of WWII in September

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The last military parade was held in 2019 to mark 70 years since communist China was founded. Photo: AP
Liu Zhen
China is preparing to show off its military might with a huge parade in Beijing on September 3 marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War II.
As well as thousands of goose-stepping soldiers, the People’s Liberation Army will bring out the big guns with its latest missile systems, weaponry and aircraft on display for the first time since the last military parade six years ago.

Why hold a parade?

The PLA has not fought a war since the 1990s and its military parades since then have served as a demonstration of the PLA’s prowess and determination.

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They have become more frequent since Xi Jinping took power in 2012. Amid an ambitious modernisation drive – with the goal of creating a “world class” military by 2049 – there have been large-scale parades in Beijing in 2015 and 2019, and in Inner Mongolia in 2017. Two major naval parades have also been held, in the South China Sea in 2018 and in the Yellow Sea in 2019.

Fewer parades took place when Xi’s predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao were in office. One was staged in 1999 when Jiang was in power and another in 2009 when Hu was president, both in Tiananmen Square. Naval parades were also held in the Yellow Sea to mark PLA Navy anniversaries in 1995 and 2009.

Xi Jinping (centre) with former presidents Hu Jintao (left) and Jiang Zemin at the 2019 parade. Photo: AP
Xi Jinping (centre) with former presidents Hu Jintao (left) and Jiang Zemin at the 2019 parade. Photo: AP

In recent years, these parades have reflected a fundamental shift in China’s defence strategy and foreign policy – from “keeping a low profile and biding time” to “proactively striving for accomplishments” – and they come as geopolitical rivalry has intensified, especially with the United States.

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