Today, China will host a massive military parade along Changan Avenue in central Beijing, showcasing the country’s latest and most advanced weapons to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II.
WATCH LIVE: Beijing marks 80th anniversary of Japan’s WWII surrender
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President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech from the Tiananmen rostrum and then inspect the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops from a parade car. It will be the third major military parade in Tiananmen Square that Xi has overseen as president.
World leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be seated on the rostrum, along with serving and former top officials and generals.
Some Communist Party elders, including former president Hu Jintao and former premiers Wen Jiabao and Zhu Rongji, are also expected to attend, health permitting.
Many of the new weapons displayed by the PLA are expected to play a key role in any future conflict involving Taiwan.
Reporting by Josephine Ma, Dewey Sim, Yuanyue Dang, Enoch Wong, Vincent Choi, Alcott Wei, Richard Zhang, Holly Chik, Xinlu Liang, Amber Wang and Eugene Lee
