China's 60th anniversary parade held at the Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 2009. A huge military parade will also take place on September 3./ Source from Xinhua News Agency |
By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday - China's parade preparations are in full swing. The country is doing "everything possible" to successfully hold an upcoming event commemorating victory over Japan in World War II. Under a perception that the event will present the country's major-power status, China is putting as much efforts as it did for last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where Beijing's choking smog was temporarily replaced with stunning clear skies dubbed "APEC blue."
Taking together the reports of Chinese state-run media outlets including the People's Daily on August 4, this is clearly seen in the government's preparations for the military parade, which will be a highlight of the event. First of all, the government is taking measures to limit smog during the parade in the heavily polluted capital. From Aug. 20 to Sep. 3, Beijing will have the number of vehicles allowed on the streets, restricting cars according to their license plate numbers. The city will also shut factories during that time frame. In other words, China is doing everything possible to introduce "parade blue" during the commemoration period. Moreover, all air traffic in or out of Beijing Capital International Airport will be closed for three hours from 9:30am to 12:30pm on the day of the parade. This shows how much efforts the Chinese government is putting for the success of the event.
As part of its strong willingness to make the event successful, China is making efforts to invite as many top world leaders as possible to the parade. Diplomatic actions under the table are on the way. Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will be attending the ASEAN Regional Forum, which takes place in Malaysia starting on August 5. The government will be encouraging Southeast Asia's top leaders, who have already received an invitation, to show up for the event.
However, things are not so optimistic. Only Russia's President Vladimir Putin and other few top leaders have publicly confirmed their attendance. Only a few European leaders will be attending. However, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whose attendance was remained unclear, will likely to be there looking at the relationship between China and North Korea. Professor Fang Changping of Renmin University of China is optimistic about situation, stating, "The relationship between the two countries has been largely restored. Kim is likely to attend the event." If President Park Geun-hye decides to make her attendance, North and South Korean leaders could meet with each other.
It's too early to jump to conclusion on success of China's WWII victory day parade. However, it won't be a flat one looking at the efforts China is currently making.
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