By Franz-Stefan Gady
Beijing threatens that violators of the guidelines will “be dealt with seriously.”
There are just two more days until China’s military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender to end World War II, and new details are emerging every day.
Yesterday I reported (See: “Revealed: China for the First Time Publicly Displays ‘Guam Killer’ Missile”) that, during rehearsals for the military parade, the Second Artillery Corps of the People’s Liberation Army has for the first time publicly shown some of the most modern missiles in its inventory, including the new intermediate-range nuclear Dongfeng-26C (DF-26C) missile.
According to my colleague Shannon Tiezzi (See: “China to Showcase Never-Before-Seen Weapons and Equipment in Military Parade“) , 84 percent of military hardware present at the parade will be publicly showcased for the first time. The martial ceremony will include 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of equipment, and around 200 aircraft. Shannon also notes that “from subway shut-downs to trained monkeys, the city is doing everything to make sure the parade is flawless” (See: “What Is Beijing Doing to Prepare for the Military Parade?”).
The Chinese authorities apparently want to conduct an absolutely perfect military ceremony. Given that, the public revelation by the website China Digital Times of secret censorship instructions, issued by the Communist government to Chinese media outlets reporting on the parade, must not sit well with the parade’s organizers.
Read the full story at The Diplomat