A lavish parade of military firepower may be Beijing’s latest means of reinforcing its legitimacy in the eyes of mainland citizens after recent events, including a severe stock market plunge, shook trust in the government.

“The parade represents not only a bold show of Chinese nationalism, military might and bilateral relationships, but also a necessary distraction from the economic slowdown, the recent explosion in Tianjin, ongoing environmental concerns, and corruption at home,” commented Lauren Dickey, research associate at the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), in a recent note.

On Thursday, China’s capital city will hold its first-ever military parade to commemorate Japan’s World War II surrender, or the “Commemoration of Seventieth Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People’s Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War” as Beijing calls it.

… “China could have done a better job with stock market intervention so this parade is a chance for the current leadership to impose authority,” James Char, research analyst at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, told CNBC.