China will showcase a range of newly developed military hardware during a major parade in Beijing next month, officials announced on Wednesday.
The event, set for September 3, commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and will feature President Xi Jinping inspecting troops at Tiananmen Square. Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other world leaders are expected to attend.
Major General Wu Zeke, from China’s military commission, said all equipment on display would be domestically produced, active main battle systems, with many making their public debut. These will include heavy strategic weapons, hypersonic precision systems, as well as advanced unmanned and counter-unmanned platforms.
“The parade will fully demonstrate our military’s strong capability to prevail in modern warfare,” Wu stated.
The 70-minute display will also feature ground formations, armoured vehicles, aerial units, and other high-tech combat equipment.
The commemoration underscores China’s wartime sacrifices, as millions of Chinese died during the conflict with imperial Japan in the 1930s and 1940s. It also reflects the ruling Communist Party’s push to highlight its role in resisting foreign aggression.
Beijing has stepped up defence spending, raising its 2025 military budget by 7.2 percent in March. Despite having the world’s second-largest military budget, China remains behind the United States, its main strategic rival, in defence expenditure.
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