China will showcase its military might with a range of weapons like nuclear missiles and bombers at a massive military parade here next week to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in which 1,000 foreign troops from 17 countries, including <g data-gr-id="31">Pakistan</g> will take part, highlighting China’s growing clout.
The communist nation will demonstrate its intercontinental ballistic missiles and a bomber, which has a range of 3,600 km, along with a host of weapons at the parade on September 3, which will be attended by 30 world leaders.
Pakistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, <g data-gr-id="23">Kyrghyzstan</g>, Mexico, Mongolia, Serbia, Tajikistan and Russia have dispatched formations to march in the parade, said Qu Rui, deputy chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Each formation consists of around 75 people.
Another six countries –Afghanistan, Cambodia, Fiji, Laos, Vanuatu and Venezuela –will send teams of around seven people each, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. Thirty-one countries, including France and Republic of Korea, have also promised to send high-level military delegations, he said.
Disclosing the list of foreign guests, Zhang Ming, vice minister of foreign affairs, told a press conference here that 30 heads of state and government leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korean President Park Geun-<g data-gr-id="24">hye</g>, will attend the military parade.
Other leaders include South African President Jacob Zuma, Myanmar President Thein Sein, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.