3 September 2015

Chinese Victory Parade commemorates 70 years of WWII victory



Chinese Victory Parade commemorates 70 years of WWII victory

The Chinese military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of its victory over Japan in WWII, took place in central Beijing on September 3, 2015.

The event was attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korea president Park Geun-hye, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair among others. India did not send troops for the parade but was represented by General V.K. Singh. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declined the invitation and did not attend the event.

More than 500 items of weaponry and almost 200 aircraft were on display at the parade. Over 12,000 troops paraded through the square as China marked the occasion with a show of military might. The parade was followed by President Xi Jinping’s speech wherein he mentioned that he would be cutting Chinese troops by 300,000.