Editorial | Victory Day parade is a showcase for unity

Military parades are staged for various reasons. Some are for training and recruiting, others to build national unity or display military might. China’s coming Victory Day parade will aim to commemorate historical events and send a message to a troubled world about the need to pursue peace.

The parade will mark 80 years since China’s triumph over Japanese invasion forces and the global victory against fascism. Plans for the September 3 event were announced last Tuesday, but preparations were already well under way. The timing should not be seen as a reaction to global tensions. China holds such major parades about once a decade other than for special occasions such as the 70th anniversary of the nation’s founding in 2019.

Wu Zeke, deputy head of the warfare bureau at the People’s Liberation Army’s Joint Staff Department, said the Victory Day parade would showcase the significance of the Sino-Japanese war and China’s will to “resolutely defend” the post-WWII order. China suffered greatly during the occupation and war, and Wu said the nation would not forget the “valuable assistance and support of peace-loving countries and anti-fascist forces” including the former Soviet Union, the United States and Britain.

Leaders and senior officials of foreign countries will be invited as they were for the last Victory Day parade a decade ago. Forums will be arranged for delegates from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Veterans from both the Communist Party and the Kuomintang, rival parties that both took part in the war effort, will also be welcomed.

Officials hope the parade can illustrate how reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, despite differences, can triumph over aggression. Such collaboration was critical to face down Imperial Japanese aggression and win the first “complete victory” against a foreign invader in China’s modern history.

The parade will, of course, showcase combat capabilities ranging from new fighter jets and drones to hypersonic missiles. Like most nations, China is well aware of the concept of “peace through strength”. But Victory Day will also draw on history’s lessons about how cooperation can help in a world facing conflict and turmoil.