China has invited Russian troops to march in a parade in Beijing in September to commemorate the end of World War II, the Chinese Ministry of Defense said yesterday, a move likely to further put off Western leaders from attending.
China has been coy about which nations it plans to invite to the parade, but said it would likely invite representatives from the Western allies who fought with China during the war.
However, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) could be left standing with few top Western officials due to Western governments concerns over a range of issues, including the expected presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, diplomats said.
Photo: Reuters
Xi on Saturday attended a parade in Moscow to mark 70 years since the end of the war in Europe.
A Chinese Ministry of Defense statement said that Chinese Central Military Commission deputy chairman Fan Changlong (范長龍) told Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu that China “warmly welcomes Russian military leaders and army formations” to take part in the September events in Beijing.
Xi’s visit to Russia and appearance at the Moscow commemorations “pushed the China-Russia all-round strategic partnership relationship to a new level,” Fan added, according to the statement.
Western leaders boycotted the Moscow parade over Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis.
The Beijing parade, which is likely see troops marching through Tiananmen Square, is to be Xi’s first since he took over as Chinese Communist Party leader and military chief in late 2012 and as state president in early 2013.
Sino-Japan relations have long been poisoned by what China sees as Japan’s failure to atone for its occupation of parts of the nation before and during the war, and Beijing rarely misses an opportunity to remind its people and the world of this.
Last month, US President Barack Obama’s top Asia adviser, Evan Medeiros, said that he had questions about whether a large military parade would really send a signal of reconciliation or promote healing, drawing a rebuke from China.
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