Within a little over an hour on Wednesday, more than 10,000 soldiers, tanks, and parts of China's robot arsenal will pass Tiananmen Square. More than 100 military aircraft will fly by.
China's President Xi Jinping will follow the whole thing together with, among others, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un. Large parts of the traditional Western world have tried to isolate Russia's and North Korea's leaders, but in Beijing, they are given a place in the spotlight.
Is there a better way to give a visual message to the rest of the world – mainly the USA, Japan, and South Korea – that this is the trilateral gathering they are facing? says Soo Kim, an analyst who previously worked for the American intelligence service CIA, to AFP.
New twist on history
Thursday's military parade in China's capital is formally held to commemorate that it has been 80 years since Japan's capitulation in World War II. For China's part, the war was also devastating, and the ruling Communist Party has, like Vladimir Putin in Russia, placed increasing emphasis on this historical sacrifice.
The Communists came to power in China only four years after the war, and the country's defense effort was mainly carried out by the former nationalist government. Now, several sinologists and historians believe that the efforts are being highlighted in a new light to show how far China has come, to legitimize power, and to consolidate a great power role.
China is trying to say that it was a key player that had a leading role in the establishment of the post-war world order, says Shin Kawashima at the University of Tokyo to AP.
And that they have now reached a point where the country is catching up and surpassing the USA.
Some European presence
The parade will, according to Chinese state media, be accompanied by more than a thousand musicians placed in 14 rows – in line with the party's historiography, where the war started earlier and lasted for a total of 14 years.
Military analysts will study which weapons China shows off. Among other things, they are expected to see a new sea-targeting missile that is believed to be able to play a role in a potential escalation with Taiwan.
When China held a summit within the framework of the cooperation organization SCO over the weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were present, but they did not stay for the parade.
Two European leaders have, however, announced that they will attend: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and EU country Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico.
In total, around 25 foreign heads of state or government are expected to participate in China's large military parade in Beijing on Wednesday. They come from the following countries:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran, Indonesia, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Congo-Brazzaville, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto initially canceled his trip to China due to deadly ongoing protests at home, but on Tuesday, he announced that he will, after all, participate in Beijing.
