China’s military parade, a message of peace

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Dressed in a military uniform and greeting thousands of soldiers, Chinese President Xi Jinping led the celebrations to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the country’s armed forces, the world’s largest.

It was one of the biggest shows of China’s combat skills. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops participated in this grand parade at the Zhurihe Training Base in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

President Xi, also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, observed troops in the field and acknowledged the PLA’s defense capabilities, while repeatedly praising soldiers for their hard work.

Standing on the back of a jeep, he called out, “Hello comrades!” and, “Comrades, you are working hard!”

Chinese President Xi Jinping /CGTN Screenshot

"Serve the people," troops responded.

Magnificent event

Sunday’s event was not as massive as the 2015 parade held in Beijing, which marked 70 years since the end of World War II. It was nevertheless a magnificent show.

In an event shown live on CGTN, CCTV, China National Radio, and China Radio International, 12,000 troops participated. Over 100 aircraft and 571 tanks, missile launchers and other military vehicles were displayed in 36 formations.

It was the first time President Xi had reviewed such a large-scale military parade in the field.

Military music set the celebratory tone, as a slow moving open-roof jeep carrying President Xi drove past formations of soldiers.

Chinese UN peacekeeping soldiers. /CGTN Screenshot

Military aircraft flew above as vehicle-mounted missiles, tanks and other equipment rolled by.

According to Xinhua News Agency, it was the first time that China marked Army Day, which formally falls on August 1, with a military parade since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Foreign perception

International media outlets also covered the parade, focusing on the “show of might".

The reports again failed, critics said, to understand that China’s military power is founded upon a notion of peace. President Xi stated in an address after the parade that “safeguarding peace is the responsibility of the country's military forces.”

According to UN data, China tops the chart for contributions made to UN peacekeeping missions in terms of personnel. It is also the second-largest financial contributor to the missions.

Over 31,000 Chinese peacekeepers have, so far, participated in 29 UN missions around the world.

During the missions, Chinese soldiers have built and maintained 13,000 roads and over 300 bridges as of June 2016, according to data from the Office for Peacekeeping Affairs of the Chinese Defense Ministry.

They have cleared more than 9,400 landmines and unexploded objects.

Since 2002, the PLA has participated in many critical humanitarian and relief missions in countries including Djibouti, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, and Pakistan, elaborated a report published in China Daily.

Chinese analysts countered another theory created by foreign media that China wants to control the world.

The military’s development aims to defend the sovereignty of the country, said the Chinese analysts.

(With inputs from agencies)