Eighty cannon shots that have made the Plaza de Tiananmén vibrate have marked the beginning of the largest military muscle deployment in China in recent years. The parade on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the surrender of Japan in (1937-1945) and the end of World War II has started in Beijing exactly at nine on Wednesday, local time. The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has presided over the celebration, flanked by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and the North Korean president, Kim Jong-un, from the same gallery with a view to the square from which Mao Zedong proclaimed in 1949 the Popular Republic. “Today, humanity again confronts the dilemma between peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, shared benefit or the zero sum game,” XI proclaimed during his speech.
For about an hour, troops, tanks, submarines, Drones and missile combat planes of all kinds, including the latest hypersonic models with nuclear capacity and intercontinental reach, have marched in perfect synchrony in an act conceived to show the military power of the second power of the planet.
The event, which has paralyzed the Chinese capital, has been chanted to the millimeter for months. Like the distribution of guests. In La Tribuna, XI has been sitting on his right to one of his closest allies, the president of Russia, and, on his left, to the North Korean leader, who visits China for the first time since 2019. His presence, in addition to that of other leaders such as the Iranian president, Peseshkian Masud, and the Belarusian, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has turned the appointment into a high voltage staging Geopolitical, and reinforces the message that for those who defy international order.
Within the forbidden city, XI and his wife, Peng Liyuan, have welcomed the 26 heads of state and government who have moved to the Chinese capital for the celebration. The last two have been Kim and Putin. The Chinese president has been especially close to his North Korean counterpart, whom he greeted with a wide smile and affected his hand for a couple of seconds. After taking a family photo, XI has headed the delegation towards the monumental access door to the old imperial palace, that of heavenly peace (literal translation of Tiananmén). The cameras have carefully shown the moment in which Xi, Putin and Kim advanced in parallel, climbing the stairs of the imposing construction almost in unison. An image loaded with symbolism, which reinforces the idea that has been projected in recent days.
The parade culminates a week in which China has shown its face as a true axis of alternative power, after the celebration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (OCS) over the weekend. To this other event in the city of Tianjin also attended about twenty international leaders, with a large presence of the global south. Among them were the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and responsible for international organizations, such as the UN Secretary General, António Guterres. But none of these have been present in the parade. Nor has any leading leader of the European Union attended, with the exception of the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has also traveled from Europe.
XI has thanked foreign governments and “international friends” who supported and helped the Chinese people in “their resistance against Japanese aggression.” It is officially calling the commemoration of September 3, which has stressed, was the “first complete victory in China’s history.”
“History warns us that the destiny of humanity is deeply interconnected. Only if countries and nations are treated equally, coexist in harmony and support each other, it will be possible to maintain common security, eradicate the causes of war and prevent historical tragedies from repeating,” he said.
The culminating moment has taken place shortly after, with the start of the parade itself. Dozens of formations, perfectly aligned, wait on the Avenida de Chang’an, at one end of Tiananmén’s square. XI, peeked out by the sunroof of the car and dressed in the olive green uniform that distinguishes him as president of the Central Military Commission, is reviewing each of the formations. “Comrades, good job!”, He urges them to pass. “We follow the direction of the party, so we are able to win the battles!”, Replicate with a cry of loyalty the military. And also: “Justice will triumph, peace will triumph, the people will triumph!”
The heat is suffocating: 29 degrees and 80% moisture. A fine mist enters the horizon through which a swarm of helicopters that fly over the square for forming an 80. When the troops begin to parade, with the help of a catalejo it is possible to glimpse Xi, in the center of the box. Putin approaches him and comment on something, while Kim, on the other side, fans. Then, Xi turns to Kim and points to the weapons deployment. This XI pendular to one side and another to chat with its closest strategic allies continues throughout the act. They point out here and there. Only they know the content of their conversations.
With the passage of the tanks, the ground roars and the vibration reaches the stands of the press. Overwhelming see the 45 columns march as if they were a single person projected to infinity; Submarines and unmanned, silent aircraft, in sinuous ways and for the time deadly, that evoke the wars of the future. A voice is announcing the appearance of each new element. The public exclaims a long and sound “Oooh!”, When it presents the latest missile models, the Jinglei 1 and 3, and the Dongfeng 61 and 31, which are to each one more immense. “Key instruments of the country, an cornerstone of stability,” says the voice. “Oooh!” “Key instruments of the country, a cornerstone of stability. First presented jointly, they show the” three -dimensional “strategic force of our army in land, sea and air, constituting the strategic” master letter “to safeguard national sovereignty and defend the dignity of the nation.”
