The Straits Times
04 September 2015
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- China Flexes its Military Muscle at Parade
China Flexes its Military Muscle at Parade
China marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II with a dazzling parade before the historic Tiananmen Square that showcased its military firepower on an unprecedented scale, complete with fighter jets roaring overhead and some 12,000 marching troops.
President Xi Jinping, who yesterday presided over his first military parade since he took office in 2012, also unexpectedly announced that he would cut 300,000 troops from China’s 2.3 million-strong military. He did not give further details although the Defence Ministry said that the cuts should be complete by end-2017.
… Said S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies senior fellow Oh Ei Sun: “It’s a form of posturing… But the display of some of its naval missiles, however, could be China’s sign to Asean countries (that have maritime disputes with it) not to mess with China.”
IDSS / Print / Online
