Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday lauded his country as a major power and a force for world peace, as he presided over a spectacular military parade marking the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II.
With concerns rife over China’s rise, Xi announced that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) — the world’s largest military — would be reduced by 300,000 personnel, although the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said the cuts would mainly fall on outdated units and non-combat staff.
“War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over humankind,” Xi said. “We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace.”
Photo: AFP
However, moments later, new missiles dubbed “carrier-killers,” which experts say could change the balance of power with the US, rolled through the square, in an unmistakable show of strength.
The mixed messages drew a rebuke from Japan, which said it was “disappointed” by Xi’s speech for focusing too much on the past and for its lack of “rapprochement” between the Asian powers, the world’s second and third-largest economies.
With disquiet growing over China’s increasing assertiveness in territorial disputes, most Western leaders stayed away from the extravaganza in Tiananmen Square, where Chinese troops crushed democracy protests in 1989.
Photo: Reuters
After a 70-gun salute, thousands of troops marched in formation through the square, with tanks and missiles following, while nearly 200 aircraft performed a flypast in blue skies overhead.
The immaculate, choreographed ranks of soldiers included a detachment from Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin was the highest-profile foreign guest.
China has repeatedly insisted the parade was not aimed at any particular country, including Japan, which it says is insufficiently contrite over wartime atrocities.
“The unyielding Chinese people fought gallantly and finally won total victory against the Japanese militarist aggressors, thus preserving China’s 5,000-year-old civilization and upholding the cause of peace,” Xi said.
He described the eight-year conflict, in which historians say between 15 million to 20 million Chinese died, as “a decisive battle between justice and evil, between light and darkness,” and that the victory had “re-established China as a major country in the world”.
Decades of double-digit budget increases have transformed China’s military, giving Beijing the confidence to push a program of artificial island building in the South China Sea and vigorously proclaim its sovereignty over disputed outcrops controlled by Japan.
The equipment on show for the first time at the parade included DF-21D missiles, an anti-ship ballistic missile that could be used in the Pacific to target US aircraft carriers.
“There’s no doubt that it will be a game changer” if it performs as claimed, said Jon Grevatt, Asia-Pacific defense analyst at IHS Jane’s.
For decades, Washington’s carriers have been the core of its ability to project power around the world and a commentator on Chinese television described the weapon as a “trump card.”
Xi’s announcement of troop reductions was widely expected and comes after about 2 million personnel have been cut from the PLA since the 1980s.
On its Web site, the defense ministry said the military would be “slimmer, but more capable, and their composition more scientific.”
Putin was given a prominent position next to Xi on the rostrum, as were ranks of former Chinese leaders, including former presidents Jiang Zemin (江澤民) and Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
Shaking hands with Xi were Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir — indicted by the International Criminal Court — and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.
More mainstream guests included South Korean President Park Geun-hye, whose country was colonized by Japan, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa — which with China is part of the BRICS groups of major emerging economies — and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned