China shows off 'Rich Nation, Strong Army'

[FT_news]

China will display 56 military formations including anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, unmanned surveillance aircraft and fighter jets next week in its biggest military parade in a decade, said a senior military official.

The parade, scheduled for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Communist party rule in China on October 1, will “highlight the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) shift from quantity to quality, from manpower to technology,” said General Gao Jianguo, deputy director of the National Day Military Parade Joint Command.

First and foremost, the show of force – rehearsed on each of the past three weekends under a complete lockdown of central Beijing for more than 12 hours – is an opportunity for the government to show off the achievements of its modernisation efforts.

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[forum_admin]

But despite experts’ keen interest in such detail of weaponry, and the message of the PLA’s growing deterrence and counterstrike capabilities it sends, the parade’s main purpose is political and domestic. As with the other parts of the massive celebrations the Communist party has arranged for October 1, the parade aims to remind the Chinese people as well as the PLA of the party’s claim on unrivalled leadership, and renew its legitimacy.

“Through the parade, China’s leaders hope to show the Chinese people what they have accomplished in the past decade of reforms, to maintain support for the party and to instil pride in the nation,” said Taylor Fravel, a security expert at MIT.

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China shows off ‘Rich Nation, Strong Army’