CHINA will cut the number of its troops by 300,000 and will never seek hegemony but protect the peace of the country and the world, President Xi Jinping said Thursday in his speech before the V-Day military parade as part of China’s commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

    China will complete the cut by the end of 2017, Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun announced hours after Xi made the remarks. Yang said the move will target troops equipped with outdated armaments, administrative staff and noncombat personnel.

    It will be the country’s fourth cut of troops since the reform and opening up in the 1980s, which boasts one of the the world’s biggest militaries at 2.3 million. In 1985, China downsized its army by more than 1 million, the biggest reduction ever.

    Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, called on people to commemorate the hard-won peace.(Xinhua)

    In honoring the Chinese who perished and those who contributed to the victory in the deadly conflict with Japan, the parade is a tribute to history and a call for peace, Xi said.

    But he warned that the world is far from tranquil although peace and development have become the prevailing trend.

    “War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind. We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace,” he said.

    World War II ravaged through Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania, inflicting over 100 million military and civilian casualties. China suffered over 35 million casualties and the Soviet Union lost more than 27 million lives, Xi said.

    The victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is the first complete victory won by China in its resistance against foreign aggression in modern times.

    This great triumph re-established China as a major country in the world and opened up bright prospects for the great renewal of the Chinese nation, Xi said.

    Xi vowed that China will never seek hegemony or expansion no matter how much strong it may become. He said the country will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation.

    In Tian’anmen Square, Xi and the first lady Peng Liyuan welcomed honored guests, including 30 national leaders, to watch the parade which involved more than 12,000 military personnel as well as veterans and their descendants. Seventeen foreign military teams also took part.

    Leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon witnessed the historic event.

    A total of 1,779 overseas Chinese from more than 120 countries and regions were invited, five of them were invited to watch the parade from the Tian’anmen Rostrum, including Chinese American physicist Paul Chu and business tycoon Lucio Tan.

    Opened with a helicopter flying by parading the national flag, the march lasted for about 50 minutes. Twenty military helicopters flew overhead forming the figure 70 to mark the 70th anniversary. Seven fighter jets flew past, making the world’s longest colored vapor trail.

    After more than 300 veterans, including Kuomingtang veterans, and their descendants passed by in two vehicle formations, 11 formations of Chinese troops marched past, including 51 female honor guards. It was the first time female honor guards have joined a parade. More than 50 generals, with an average age of 53, led parade units.

    Seventeen formations of foreign troops from 17 countries including Russia and Pakistan, marched past, before 27 formations of armaments were paraded.

    This was the first time foreign military teams have joined a Chinese military parade.

    More than 500 pieces of China’s latest equipment were displayed, 84 percent of which have never been viewed by the public, many of which are among the world’s most advanced.

    The navy displayed its latest anti-ship missiles, ship-to-air missiles and carrier-based aircraft, while the air force brought long-range bombers, fighters and airborne early warning and control (AEWC) aircraft.

    The armaments on display also included the army’s newest helicopter gunships and battle tanks as well as intermediate-range conventional and strategic ballistic missiles from the Second Artillery Force.

    The event ended with 10 air force formations flying over the square and doves and balloons being released.

    China has held 15 military parades since 1949. In 1999 and 2009, grand military parades were held to celebrate the country’s 50th and 60th founding anniversaries. This was the first parade not held on China’s National Day.

    As it is an international convention to hold a parade to mark the victory day, China held the grand event with a theme of “remember history, cherish the memory of China’s revolutionary martyrs, uphold peace and create the future.”  

    (Xinhua)