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President Xi Jinping waves from a car as he reviews troops on Tiananmen Square during the military parade. Photo: EPA

'We Chinese love peace': Xi Jinping's war parade message moments before announcing cuts of 300,000 military personnel

South China Morning Post first reported yesterday that China would announce the massive reform and downsizing plan. It is a rare for the president to make the announcement in a speech at a military parade.

President Xi Jinping today revealed he would cut the size of China's military personnel by a staggering 300,000 - twice the size of the British Army - as he lauded his country’s position as a major world power during a massive mililtary parade marking the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan.

The South China Morning Post reported yesterday that China was planning on massive reform and downsizing of the People's Liberation Army - the world's largest army which currently has 2.3 million troops, but the formal announcement was not expected at such a high profile public event.

Speaking on the Tiananmen Rostrum where Mao Zedong declared the formation of the People’s Republic in 1949, Xi said “total victory” over Japan “restored China’s status as a major country in the world”.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye (L) is welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) and his wife Peng Liyuan at Tiananmen Square. Photo: EPA

The parade was attended by hundreds of foreign dignitaries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, but major Western leaders stayed away with disquiet growing over China’s increasing willingness to throw its weight around in territorial disputes.

But for Xi, it was a welcome distraction from the country’s plunging stock markets, slowing economy and recent blasts at a Tianjin chemical warehouse that killed at least 160 people.

“Comrades! greetings!” Xi shouted as he waved to lines of soldiers he was inspecting from a China-made Red Flag sedan - the same brand of vehicles all his predecessors rode during military parades.

The soldiers shouted back: “Greetings. Chief!”  Xi shouted again: “Comrades, you have worked hard!” The soldiers shouted back: “Serve the People!”

Xi then kicked off proceedings with a key-note speech announcing the personnel cuts at the iconic Tiananmen Gate in the heart of Beijing, flanked by Chinese leaders and foreign dignitaries, including Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

"In the interest of peace, China will remain committed to peaceful development. We Chinese love peace. No matter how much stronger it may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion", Xi said.

"It will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation. The Chinese people are resolved to pursue friendly relations with all other countries, uphold the outcomes of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and make greater contribution to mankind," he added.

After a 70-gun salute thousands of troops - including a detachment from Russia - marched in formation through the square, with tanks and missiles following and a flypast by around 200 aircraft in blue skies overhead.

State broadcaster CCTV hailed China’s contribution to the victory in the second world war, saying China deterred the advancement of the Japanese army in South East Asia. China’s casualties accounted of one third of all the deaths in the second world war. 

Beijing officially calls the conflict the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War, and regularly criticises Tokyo for what it says is insufficient contrition over wartime atrocities. But it has repeatedly insisted the parade was not aimed at any particular country, including Japan.

“The unyielding Chinese people fought gallantly and finally won total victory against the Japanese militarist aggressors, thus preserving China’s 5,000-year-old civilisation and upholding the cause of peace,” Xi said.

He described the conflict as “a decisive battle between justice and evil, between light and darkness”.

Today was the first time China's first lady Peng Liyuan has attended a military parade of this kind. Peng, 53, is widely seen as China’s most high-profile first lady since the Cultural Revolution. Since Xi came to power in late 2012, she has attracted significant public attention and sparked waves of media frenzy while touring abroad with Xi or receiving foreign guests at home.

Today she was pictured wearing a striking red dress and white pearl necklace, greeting overseas dignitaries north of Tiananmen Square with her husband. 

Three generations of China’s president were also seen standing shoulder to shoulder at the Gate of Heavenly Peace for the first time. 

It was the first public appearance of both Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao since September last year where they attended a banquet to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

Three former premiers Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, and Wen Jiabao, as well as former vice president Zeng Qinhong and party elder Song Ping, (secretary of former premier Zhou Enlai), were among the party elders making a rare, collective public appearance.

Other state leaders attending includded South African President Jacob Zuma and Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain. One of the guests was Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. 

The only head of state or government from the EU was Czech President Milos Zeman. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also pictured in the stand. 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan didn't attend though former Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama did. Pyongyang sent its Politburo member Choe Ryong-hae. 

The United States, Canada and Germany sent representatives from their diplomatic missions in China, while France and Italy will send foreign ministers.

“I would like China to show its future-oriented attitude to work on common issues which international society is facing, not focus excessively on the past unfortunate history,” Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo today.

Among the weapons China unveiled for the first time today was an anti-ship ballistic missile, the Dongfeng-21D, which is reportedly capable of destroying an aircraft carrier with one hit.

Also shown were several intercontinental ballistic missiles such as the DF-5B and the DF-31A as well as the DF-26 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), dubbed the “Guam killer” in reference to a US Pacific Ocean base.

In a sign of China’s emerging military capability, five Chinese Navy ships are sailing in international waters in the Bering Sea off Alaska, the Pentagon said today, at a time when US President Barack Obama is touring the state.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said it was the first time the United States had seen Chinese navy ships in the Bering Sea.

It was not clear whether their presence was timed to coincide with Obama’s visit or if it followed a recent Chinese-Russian navy exercise. Chinese state media has said nothing about the Bering Sea deployment.

Xi will meet Obama in Washington for talks later this month that will be dominated by a host of thorny issues, including China’s growing military reach.

Since the republic’s founding, China has held 14 military parades to celebrate its October 1 National Day.

In past parades, the honour of watching the march from the rostrum was reserved solely for party, government and military leaders as well as some special delegates.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Beijing at attention for war parade
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