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A senior defense official revealed that China will exhibit a range of “new-generation” military hardware during its upcoming September 3 military parade, which marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II in the Pacific. President Xi Jinping has set 2035 as the deadline for completing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization. U.S. officials have warned that China’s expanding capabilities now match or exceed those of the United States, raising concerns about potential conflicts, especially over Taiwan.
The 70-minute parade, presided over by President Xi Jinping, will be the most comprehensive public display of new-generation weaponry since 2019. Major General Wu Zeke, a lead organizer of the event, said at a Beijing press briefing that the review will highlight the breadth of systems now in service and present them in a single, coordinated display.
All equipment on display is domestically developed and centers on newer “fourth-generation” systems, including carrier-based aircraft, main battle tanks, and other front-line platforms. The parade will also feature unmanned and “intelligent” capabilities such as cyber and electronic-warfare tools, jamming systems, combat drones, and hypersonic missiles. These weapons are difficult to target due to their speed and maneuverability.
Parade rehearsals on Chinese social media show several new missiles, including supersonic and believed hypersonic ones, alongside unmanned undersea vehicles about 60 feet long, indicating maritime and long-range strike segments will be prominent.
Xu Guizhong, a senior official of the PLA Central Theater Command’s Parade Command Organization, emphasized that the military parade requires uniformity, precise coordination, and exact timing. General David Allvin, the U.S. Air Force chief of staff, testified in June that China is rapidly modernizing its military with the intent to reshape the international order, including unmatched deterrence capabilities.
