China showed off its military might in an elaborate parade marking the country’s 70th anniversary under Communist Party rule Tuesday.
Decked out in a gray suit in the style made famous by Party leader Mao Zedong, President Xi Jinping was joined by Premier Li Keqiang and other party officials as hundreds of troops marched throughout Tiananmen Square, where Mao declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
In a speech carried live on national television, President Xi declared that “no force” can shake the foundation of China, nor stop the progress of the Chinese people.
Xi later climbed into a limousine and stood in the vehicle’s sunroof as it drove past rows of soldiers and military equipment, including truck-mounted missiles and armored personnel carriers.
A symbolic 70-gun salute then kicked off a parade showcasing China’s newest military capabilities, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile analysts say can carry multiple nuclear warheads over several thousand kilometers.
Organizers planned to release 70,000 doves at the end as a symbol of peace.