China is set to hold a significant military parade this week in honor of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific. Train guard-of-honor president, Xi Jinping To be or not to be the big show on Wednesday. From some rostrum in the middle of Tiananmen Square, he will display China’s new cutting-edge military capabilities.
The parade will feature an array of modern battle equipment, including tanks, fighter jets, drones, electronic jamming systems, and hypersonic missiles. It projects military might through elaborate spectacles. At the same time, it demonstrates the authority and arbitrary control of the country’s ruling Communist Party.
In order to make sure the event continues without any interruptions, security forces have taken over-the-top security precautions. The parade route along Chang’an Avenue is heavily patrolled, with over six square miles under lockdown—approximately four times the size of New York’s Central Park. Affected Beijing residents are advised to keep their windows closed on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Office workers are being urged to avoid the area until long after the 70-minute march concludes.
Attendance at the parade is strictly limited. A single location only party dignitaries, specially invited guests and over 20 heads of the world attend. The general public will not be permitted to participate. This limiting access is an understandable attempt to create a highly controlled, sanitized environment throughout the conference and to avert any unwanted displays of protest.
President Xi Jinping will personally, and directly, supervise the show of force. He’s likely to check troops participating in 45 contingents the purpose of which is to project China’s military power. The parade itself is a highly strategic opportunity for the Communist Party. It lets them project their desired narrative of stability and control to domestic and international audiences.
Carl Minzner @carlminzner is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He gave us tremendous context on the intent, meaning, and implications of mounting such a display. He highlighted that the parade offers a “stage-managed performance of total control.”
“On TV, the party authorities want the public to see the party firmly in control,” – Carl Minzner
Minzner further noted that for many observers within China, the event may create an impression that “everything in China is perfect.” He worried, among other things, that such carefully choreographed spectacles would influence the capacity of outsiders to understand what’s really going on in China’s political ecosystem.