Xi’s Speech, Advanced Drones In Focus At China’s Military Parade

President Xi Jinping is set to stage a major parade to mark 80 years since the end of World War II — and showcase China’s growing diplomatic sway and military might.

The last time such a parade was held in 2015, it started with a flag-raising ceremony followed by a speech from Xi. China’s top leader then inspected legions of soldiers in his Hongqi sedan before returning to the Gate of Heavenly Peace to watch weapon squads march along the Chang’an Avenue. Foreign troops also participated. 

A lot has changed since then. China’s position in the world has shifted, its hardware has progressed and its military purged of many top leaders. As soldiers march across Tiananmen Square displaying the latest weapons on Wednesday, here are five things the world will be watching. 

Xi’s Speech

Xi will deliver a speech at the parade this year.

Although such addresses typically feature rhetoric touting China’s achievements and sacrifices in the war against Japan, in 2015 Xi also made a surprise announcement: reducing the People’s Liberation Army by 300,000 people. That ushered in one of the biggest military restructurings in Chinese history, which reorganized the theater commands, consolidated the Central Military Commission, and created new units such as the Rocket Force. 

Two years ago, the Rocket Force — which operates China’s strategic nuclear arsenal — saw its leadership caught up in a corruption purge that’s rippled through the defense establishment.

Xi unveiled another restructuring last year, replacing the Strategic Support Force created in 2015 with three separate branches. More changes may be in store. 

He Weidong’s Absence

Standing alongside Xi in 2015 were past leaders Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, elite Politburo members and other former senior officials. 

This year, Politburo member He Weidong, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, is widely expected to miss the show. There have been no official reasons given for his extended absence from public events, but media reports suggest he might be the highest-profile casualty of China’s expanding military corruption probe. 

PLA watchers will also have their eyes peeled for new faces among the uniformed officers marching down the avenue, which might reveal other purge-related changes in leadership. 

Kim Jong Un, Putin’s Attendance

Foreign state leaders from across the world attended in 2015, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and Belorussian President Alexander Lukashenko. 

The foreign ministers of Hungary, France and Italy attended as well, while the US and Canada sent their ambassadors. For Southeast Asia, Malaysia sent its special envoy, Thailand sent its defense minister, and Singapore sent a former vice prime minister.

This year, the guest list includes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, making his first to China since January 2019 that will put him alongside other world leaders in a rare move. Other attendees include Putin, whose presence will likely drive Europe to further downsize their presence. 

Xi has also extended an invitation to Lukashenko. Meanwhile, the level of representation from Southeast Asia is worth watching, given the attention Xi has paid to the region: his first trip abroad this year was to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. 

Military Equipment  

China is preparing to showcase its latest anti-ship missiles, combat drones and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in a parade aimed at demonstrating its military prowess. Air force formations featuring fighter jets and bombers will also zoom across the sky. 

A “significant portion” of the equipment being inspected is making its debut at the parade, a military official has said. New drones, counter-drone equipment, electronic jamming systems, hypersonic missiles, and anti-missile gear are likely to be on display. 

Videos and photos online of parade rehearsals have included models of advanced collaborative combat aircraft — uncrewed drones that operate alongside conventional fighters — hypersonic missiles and large uncrewed underwater vehicles. 

Chinese weapons have been in the spotlight since May, when Pakistan said it used Chinese-made PL-15 missiles and J-10Cs planes to shoot down Indian jets. Since then, Pakistan officially added a new Chinese attack helicopter to its military arsenal — China’s first export of that model — and said it intends to buy advanced fighters. Indonesia is also considering purchases of J-10 jets. 

Curbs 

For a well-scripted event like this, preparations are under way to make sure everything runs smoothly on Sept. 3. Steel mills in northern China have been ordered to limit output to ensure blue skies, and some coking coal factories received similar orders to halt production. 

As usual as before important political events, residents who use virtual private networks to jump the Great Firewall are bracing for likely disruptions. 

For Beijing residents, who are used to all sorts of inconveniences from being at the center of China’s political universe, such as subway lockdowns and mall closings, the parade is coming with one significantly fewer perk than it did last time. 

In 2015 a national holiday was given on the parade day. There have been no signs of such of a move this year.