China announces troop cut, showcases military might
BEIJING: China announced on Thursday it would cut 300,000 troops to streamline its vast army, at a spectacular WWII anniversary parade where it put its military might on display but pledged to work for world peace.
As he presided over an unmistakable show of firepower that included the unveiling of “carrier-killer” ballistic missiles, President Xi Jinping vowed the People’s Liberation Army — the world’s largest — would be a force for good.
China does not seek hegemony, he said at the parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II. “We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace.”
President Mamnoon Hussain was among the world leaders who attended the grand parade. Some of the other leaders were Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, South African President Jacob Zuma and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan received President Hussain and Mehmooda Hussain when they reached the historic Tiananmen Square to witness the parade.
After a 70-gun salute, thousands of troops marched in tight formation through the square, with tanks and missiles following, while nearly 200 aircraft performed a flypast in powder-blue skies.
“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,” President Xi said.
He described the eight-year conflict, in which historians say 15 to 20 million Chinese died, as “a decisive battle between justice and evil, between light and darkness” and said the victory had “re-established China as a major country in the world”.
Pakistan was among the 17 countries that contributed troops to the parade. A 75-member Pakistani contingent — carrying Pakistan’s national flag and flags bearing insignias of their three services and the tri-services — marched alongside the Chinese troops.
Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2015
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