Military parade to mark victory of War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

BEIJING - China will hold a military parade this year to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Monday evening.

Other events that will also mark the 70th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War include a rally, a reception and an evening gala in Beijing, which will be attended by President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders, the spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, without revealing exact dates of the parade and other events.

Related: Farce to fuss over China's military parade

Unmanned aircraft receives inspection during a military parade in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on Beijing's Tian'anmen Square, October 1, 2009. [Xinhua]

"China will flex its military muscle again." Perhaps that's the main message many Western and Japanese media outlets will grab from the news that China may hold a grand military parade in September.

Such a fuss will only be a farce, even if the parade news is confirmed by the Chinese government. The unusual military parade, if it is held in September to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese aggression, it will only be part of the series of activities to commemorate the World Anti-Fascist War.

China has no intention to taunt Japan by showing off its military mighty, even when Japanese politicians' words and actions intensify tensions in the East Asia.

It's true that the parade will be special and rare as it will not be held on the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. In the past two decades, two military parades were held in 1999 and 2009 to celebrate the 50th and 60 anniversaries of founding of New China.