China marks 70 years of Communist rule with massive show of force

FT ONLINE

China celebrated its growing power and confidence with a massive display of military hardware and goose-stepping troops in Beijing on Tuesday, overseen by President Xi Jinping who pledged peaceful development on the 70th birthday of Communist China.

The event is the country’s most important of the year as China looks to project its assurance in the face of mounting challenges, including nearly four months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong and an economy-sapping trade war with the United States.

Xi, dressed in a slate gray “Mao” suit and accompanied by his predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, said China will pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up.

Standing in a black open-roof Red Flag limousine, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, gave the order to Yi Xiaoguang, commander-in-chief of the military parade, to start the review.

At the beginning, standing in the limo slowly passing the fluttering flags of the CPC, the nation and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Tian'anmen Square, Xi watched the flags with full attention as a salute.

Amid military music played by a military band, the Red Flag limo drove eastward along Chang'an Avenue, which was lined with 15 foot formations and 32 armament formations made up of about 15,000 service men and women as well as 580 pieces of armament.

Xi repeated salutes through microphone: "Salute to you, comrades!" and "Comrades, thanks for your hard work!"

The soldiers replied: "Hail to you, Chairman!" and "Serve the people!"

"Follow the Party! Fight to win! Forge exemplary conduct!" the servicemen and women saluted Xi and exclaimed when the limo drove back to Tian'anmen Rostrum.

An air echelon flew over Tian'anmen Square Tuesday morning escorting flags of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the nation, and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), marking the start of a grand National Day military parade.

Each flag was carried by a Z-8B transport helicopter and guarded by two Z-10 armed helicopters on both sides.

Eight Z-10 armed helicopters and 12 Z-19 armed helicopters followed in a formation that spelt "70" in the air.

On the ground, a formation of Guard of Honor marched along the east Chang'an Avenue to Tian'anmen Square, holding high the CPC flag, the national flag and the PLA flag.

With an active force of around 2 million, the PLA has come a long way since its birth -- the armed uprising by 20,000 soldiers in the city of Nanchang on Aug. 1, 1927.

China's new-generation main battlefield 99A tanks rumbled through Tian'anmen Square during a National Day military parade Tuesday marking the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.  

The country’s military should resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests, and firmly uphold world peace, Xi told a handpicked crowd at Tiananmen Square, in comments carried live on state television.

“No force can ever shake the status of China, or stop the Chinese people and nation from marching forward,” Xi said from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China on this day in 1949.

"Right at this moment, Chinese people of all ethnic groups and all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and abroad take pride in and give our best wishes to our great motherland with great joy," he added.  

Xi remembered revolutionary forefathers and martyrs for their feats in pursuing national independence and liberation, a stronger and more prosperous country and the people's well-being.

Xi extended warm National Day congratulations to Chinese people of all ethnic groups and all compatriots at home and abroad, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to friends around the world for their caring for and support to China's development. 

China must maintain lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, promote the peaceful development of relations with self-ruled Taiwan and “continue to strive for the motherland’s complete reunification”, he added.

Xi, whose military modernization program has rattled nerves around the region, then descended to the street and inspected row upon row of military hardware and immaculately presented troops.

China on Tuesday unveiled its new Dongfeng-17 conventional missiles for the first time in the National Day military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

The missile has the capability of precision strikes against short-and medium-range targets, with strong penetration capacity in all-weather conditions.

The formation is comprised of two conventional missile brigades from a base of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force.

Among the weapons on display were DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles, the backbone of China’s nuclear deterrence capability, which can carry several nuclear warheads and reach as far as the United States.

A formation consisting of 16 new-type strategic nuclear missile launchers carrying Dongfeng-41 passed through Tian'anmen Square in the massive parade in celebration of the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

Dongfeng-41 missiles, the mainstay of China's strategic nuclear strength, play a vital role in strategic counterbalance, deterrent control and in winning a decisive victory.

The formation is made up of two missile brigades from the rocket force. 

China's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) phalanxes were in the spotlight Tuesday in a military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

The weaponry includes reconnaissance drones in multi-range and multi-altitude.

Among them, a high-altitude high-speed reconnaissance drone, the only all black-coating UAV in the parade, made public appearance for the first time.

The phalanx showcases the new-type combat force in the future warfare and all these aerial armaments reviewed are domestically-developed, said Dang Dongxing, a military official of one of the phalanxes, noting that China's unmanned combat armaments are close to or have reached the world leading level in some aspects.

Also displayed in the parade were China's reconnaissance-strike drones, such as GJ-2 and GJ-11, as well as unmanned underwater vehicles.

Themed "Jointly Fulfilling the Chinese Dream," the mass pageantry consisted of three chapters: Founding and Construction of the People's Republic, Reform and Opening-up, and Great Rejuvenation.

The first formation of the section featured the birth of the Communist Party of China (CPC), followed by a formation displaying the 28-year CPC-led fight of the Chinese people against aggression and oppression and for survival and freedom.

Then came a formation demonstrating the history that Chinese communists, with Comrade Mao Zedong as the chief representative, established the Mao Zedong Thought and led the Chinese people in unity to found the PRC.

Chinese people became the master of the country, society and their own destinies, as recreated in the next formation. The final formation of the section showed industrial and agriculture development, indicating that socialism is achieved through hard work.

The leading formation presented a huge portrait of Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of the reform and opening-up pioneered in 1978, and the slogan "Critical Decision" was surrounded by paraders.

Chinese communists, with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as their chief representative, established the Deng Xiaoping Theory and made the historic decision of implementing reform and opening-up, ushering in socialism with Chinese characteristics, said an official narrator of the pageantry.

The following two formations marked the beginning of China's reform in rural areas and the ground-breaking achievements in the special economic zones.

A formation surrounding a huge portrait of Jiang Zemin and the slogan "Keeping up with the Times" marched through Tian'anmen Square.

Chinese communists, with Comrade Jiang Zemin as their chief representative, formed the Theory of Three Represents and successfully advanced the socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century, the narrator said.

A formation named "One Country, Two Systems" followed, with compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and masses from all walks of life waving flags and cheering to wish the motherland a "happy birthday."

There was also a formation paying tribute to the arrival of the 21st century.

Then came a formation surrounding a huge portrait of Hu Jintao and the slogan "Scientific Development."

Chinese communists, with Comrade Hu Jintao as their chief representative, formed the Scientific Outlook on Development, having upheld and developed the socialism with Chinese characteristics at a new historical starting point, the narrator said.

Two following formations paid tribute to solidarity of Chinese people against major natural disasters, and highlighted the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

A total of 100,000 people and 70 floats in 36 formations joined the mass pageantry.

The mass pageantry presented the great journey in which the Communist Party of China has united and led Chinese people of all ethnic groups to stand up, grow rich and become strong, expressing the people's sincere praise and deep love for the Party and the motherland.

CAPITAL LOCKED DOWN

Xi remains broadly popular in China for his aggressive campaign against corruption and for propelling what is now the world’s second-biggest economy to the forefront of global politics.

But the Communist Party remains nervous about its grip on power and international standing.

The capital has been locked down for the parade. Police have told residents whose houses look onto the parade route not to look out their windows.

Once the show is over, 70,000 doves will be released to symbolize peace, according to state media.

In the evening, fireworks will light up Beijing.

Xi faces mounting challenges, notably in Hong Kong, where more large-scale protests are expected on Tuesday. Police there have warned of “very serious violent attack”.

Hong Kong went into lockdown on Tuesday with barricades in the city center, shuttered stores and a heavy riot police presence. Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam is in Beijing for the anniversary celebrations.

Another challenge is Chinese-claimed Taiwan, a free-wheeling democracy with little interest in being run by Beijing and which holds presidential elections in January.

There are also restive minorities in Tibet and heavily Muslim Xinjiang, where China has faced international opprobrium for detaining up to one million ethnic Uighurs in what China calls a de-radicalization scheme.

Underscoring another problem Xi faces, the parade took place under a smoggy Beijing sky, despite region-wide efforts to curb emissions ahead of the anniversary. Industrial and transportation air pollution has been slow to disperse due to low pressure and high levels of humidity.

Ordinary Chinese residents were not permitted to attend the parade, which was limited to a carefully vetted crowd.

On the eastern end of the main road leading into central Beijing, several kilometers (miles) from Tiananmen Square, crowds gathered craning their necks to see anything.

A road sweeper urged a bystander to go home and watch the parade on television.

“You can’t walk to Tiananmen Square. You can’t go further than here,” he said.