‘No force can shake China,’ says Xi Jinping

China showed off its national power on Tuesday by hosting a large-scale military parade that reminded of a weapon exhibition at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. “No force can shake China,” emphasized Chinese President Xi Jinping targeting the U.S. He enthusiastically spoke about patriotism, unity, and nationalism by mentioning “one country, two systems” for Hong Kong and peaceful unification for Taiwan.

The military parade began with a salute of 70 guns and the Chinese red flag with five stars to celebrate the 70th anniversary. “China has made remarkable growth for the past 70 years. There is no force that can shake the status of this great nation. No force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation forging ahead,” said President Xi in a Maoist suit who stood between former Presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. His speech is interpreted as China’s determination to stand tall against the U.S.’ pressure despite challenges in and outside the country, including U.S.-China trade war, the anti-China demonstration in Hong Kong, and economic slowdown.

“Forging ahead, we must remain committed to the strategy of peaceful reunification, and ’One Country, Two Systems’ to maintain long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao,” the Chinese president also said. He also called for unity to realize the Chinese Dream, which refers to the great prosperity of the Chinese nation, saying, “China’s tomorrow will be even more prosperous.” He ended his speech shouting, “Long live the great People’s Republic of China! Long live the great Communist Party of China! Long live the great Chinese people!”

President Xi inspected 15,000 troops of 59 military units who lined up in Changan Avenue in front of Tiananmen Square. The military parade resembling an exhibition of cutting-edge weaponry was a message to the U.S. in itself. The most eye-catching weapon was the Dongfeng-41, a next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile that can attack Washington D.C. The missile, which was revealed for the first time on Tuesday, has the maximum range of 14,000 kilometers, making it capable of reaching anywhere in the world. It can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads and the margin of error for a target is less than 100 meters.

In addition, Beijing also revealed the Dongfeng-17, which is known to avoid the missile defense system of the U.S. using the hypersonic descent technology, and the Dongfeng-100, a hypersonic missile known to be the killer of aircraft carriers. The J-20, a new stealth fighter comparable to the U.S.’ F-35, and the Z-20, an equal for the U.S.’ military helicopter Black Hawk, were also featured. Chinese media reported that 40 percent of the weapon mobilized for the military parade was revealed for the first time. Chinese state-run media Global Times said it was “a message to the world that China has sufficient and reliable strategic nuclear power to respond to any ‘nuclear blackmail’ from any country.” Some say that China’s imposing demonstration targeted not only the U.S. but also its neighboring countries, including South Korea and Japan.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com · Wan-Jun Yun zeitung@donga.com