President of China Xi Jinping held the largest military parade in the country's history on Wednesday. The lavish event, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat at the end of World War II, was ignored by Western leaders, but Putin and Kim — outcasts in the West due to the war in Ukraine and Kim's nuclear ambitions — were honored guests, writes Reuters.
«Today humanity faces a choice: peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win or nothing», — said Xi, addressing more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square, adding that the Chinese people «stand firmly on the right side of history». In his speech, he also vowed to defend «national sovereignty and territorial integrity».
Dressed in a suit reminiscent of those worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Xi welcomed more than 20 leaders on a red carpet, the entire parade was rich in symbolism and propaganda, culminating in the release of 80,000 peace doves and colorful balloons.
The parade was the culmination of a weeks-long campaign by the ruling Communist Party to stoke nationalism, reinterpret China's role in World War II, and present the party as the nation's savior from foreign aggressor, imperial Japan, writes The New York Times. Wartime memories serve to mobilize domestic support for China amid economic uncertainty and tensions with the United States, which Xi accuses of trying to contain and suppress China.
Minutes after the military parade began, President Trump accused Xi on his social media of ignoring America's role in helping China during the war. He wrote that the «big question» is whether Xi will mention the «vast amount of support and blood that the United States of America provided to China to help it secure its freedom from a very unfriendly foreign invader».
He also addressed a message to Putin and Kim Jong Un, with whom he has always boasted of good relations. «Please convey my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you plot against the United States of America», — Trump wrote. However, earlier the US president told reporters that he does not see the parade as a challenge to the United States.
«Xi seeks to gain recognition for China as a central world power and to revise the international system to better align with China's preferences», — quotes NYT the director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, Ryan Hass.
Photo: Reuters