NewI’m with you, Xi: At the heart of China’s massive war parade is the PLA’s declaration of loyalty to the president

The parade on Thursday means more than commemorating a victory 70 years ago. It also carries important signals the leadership wants to send domestically, the most of important of which, analysts believe, is a showcase of unity at a time when the capability and loyalty of the military to the Communist Party is being questioned. 

The People’s Liberation Army has been shaken by investigations into several of its top brass, including Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, who previously served as vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission. Guo was sacked from the party for corruption late July, while Xu was facing a court martial but died from cancer in March before the case began.

“Investigating Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou underlined our resolution to safeguard the image of the army,” party mouthpiece People’s Daily said on Tuesday. “The parade is a presentation of the improvement of the army.”

The event is also aimed at reassuring the public that despite the graft in the military, it remained an effective fighting force said Jin Canrong, an international relations expert at Renmin University.