China will stage a military parade to commemorate the end of World War II 鈥 the second time it has held the event 鈥 as conflicts rage around the world, including the latest between Iran and Israel.
It will be held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3, a decade after the People鈥檚 Liberation Army first staged a Victory Day parade.
It will follow a ceremony marking 80 years since China defeated Japan and the global victory against fascism, Hu Heping, deputy head of the Communist Party鈥檚 publicity department, told reporters on Tuesday.
The parade, first reported by the South China Morning Post in February, will be watched closely for possible debuts of advanced new Chinese weapons.
The Kremlin confirmed on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China from August 31 to September 3 to attend the events, as well as hold talks with President Xi Jinping on September 2.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is also expected to attend.
During a meeting in Beijing earlier this month, Xi also invited Lukashenko to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and military parade, according to Belarusian state news agency Belta.
Putin, as well as leaders from about 30 other countries, mainly in the Global South, attended China鈥檚 first Victory Day parade in 2015 for the 70th anniversary. About 12,000 troops and 200 aircraft from the PLA took part.
Since then, the PLA has only held one other military parade 鈥 an event in 2019 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People鈥檚 Republic of China.
From the 1980s to the 2000s, the country held one military parade each decade.
Two naval parades have also been conducted since Xi took power 鈥 in 2018 in the South China Sea, and in the Yellow Sea the following year to mark the 70th anniversary of the PLA Navy.
Xi attended the Victory Day parade in Moscow in May marking the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. China also sent honour guards to the event in the Russian capital and a similar one in Minsk.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media this month appeared to show rehearsals for the Beijing parade. A clip posted to the Chinese social media platform RedNote showed at least 45 PLA helicopters flying in formation.
The aircraft formed ceremonial patterns, including a heart, the numbers 鈥8鈥 and 鈥0鈥, and also flew in groups of three, with each carrying red flags representing the Communist Party, the nation and the PLA.
Pictures of China鈥檚 new carrier-based fighter jets, J-15Ts, in formation are also circulating online, suggesting that the aircraft will be part of the parade.
The 2015 parade showcased advanced and new weapons of the time, including J-15 fighters, H-6K bombers and Z-10 attack helicopters.