China holds lavish parade to celebrate WWII victory

PanARMENIAN.Net - China held a lavish parade in Beijing to mark victory in World War Two, showcasing its military might on an unprecedented scale, BBC News reports.

President Xi Jinping in his opening speech paid tribute to "the Chinese people who unwaveringly fought hard and defeated aggression" from Japan.

He also said the People's Liberation Army would be reduced by 300,000 personnel, but gave no timeframe.

More than 30 foreign government officials and heads of state including Russia's President Vladimir Putin and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended the event.

Some 12,000 troops and 200 aircraft, as well as tanks and missiles, were on display in Tiananmen Square, including the anti-ship "carrier killer" missile Dongfeng-21D.

More than 80% of the machinery on display was being shown to the general public for the first time, according to state media.

President Xi, also the commander of the armed forces, was center stage at the parade's proceedings.He made the troop reduction announcement in a speech where he reassured the global community that "China will remain committed to peaceful development".

China is also upgrading its naval and air forces, so does not need as many boots on the ground to project its power around the world, a BBC correspondent reported from the parade.