Some 45 formations of ground and air forces are set to feature, alongside displays of “new-generation” equipment that underscore the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) modernisation drive.
Defence watchers will closely parse the columns of armour and squadrons of aircraft at the parade – as they have already been doing for the rehearsals – for signals of how far China’s armed forces have come, and where they may be headed next.
HIGH-PROFILE GUEST LIST
The Victory Day parade features a high-profile line-up of foreign guests, underscoring Beijing’s diplomatic reach.
Among the most closely watched attendees are Russia’s Putin and North Korea’s Kim.
For Putin, his foreign visits have been largely confined to allied or neutral nations amid Western isolation and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
As for Kim, it is his first appearance at a major multilateral event since assuming power in 2011, and his first visit to China in more than six years. He did not attend Beijing’s last World War II parade in 2015, sending a senior official instead.
North Korea remains under heavy international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, though analysts say the measures have lost much of their bite amid growing economic, military and political support from Russia and China.
Western leaders are notably absent, save for Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbia’s President Aleksander Vucic.
