On Sep 3, 2015, China will hold a military parade to observe the 70th anniversary of the Anti-Fascist War. It is the first military parade to be staged other than on China’s National Day (October 1) and the first since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012. It is the first time that China will invite foreign leaders to attend a grand military parade; Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend.
On January 27, 2015, China Review News published an article analyzing the political considerations behind the decision to hold such a grand parade as it breaks the convention of having a big military parade every 10 years on National Day. According to the article, there are four purposes in holding this parade. First, it displays China’s military might; second, it deters Japan; third, it enhances the Chinese people’s sense of pride and confidence by showing off the Chinese army’s morale and armaments; finally, it tells corrupt officials that the army, which is “the handle of a knife,” in addition to two other “handles of knives,” which are the Chinese Communist Party’s disciplinary inspections system and its political and legal system, is in the hands of the Party and the people.
On January 20, 2015, when Xi spoke to the Political and Legal Affairs Committee meeting, he said, “Nurture a legal corps loyal to the party, loyal to the country, loyal to the people, and loyal to the law. Ensure that the handle of the knife is firmly in the hands of the Party and the people.”
Source: China Review News, January 27, 2015
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