Her aides on Monday said she is “carefully reviewing” the invitation.Ī subtle voice of World War II remorse in Japan: The emperor She has the advantage of being “get-able,” he said, and could “lend the event a little more international credibility.” The big get for the Chinese side would be South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye, who shares something of the Chinese leadership’s antipathy toward Japan and has made diplomacy with China a top priority.įor the Chinese, she may be the best bet, said John Delury, a China and Korea expert at Seoul’s Yonsei University. Given Beijing’s frustrations with his regime, and the scene-stealing spectacle that would occur if he turned up, it seems unlikely that Chinese officials are begging him to come. At most, says Smith of the Council on Foreign Relations, he might stop by for a meeting after the main event, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel did after the parade in Moscow.Īnother question mark is North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who skipped Putin’s parade and generally seems content to stay on his own turf. There have been rumors that Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - yes, Abe - was invited, though it seems extremely unlikely he would attend. leaders would attend.“One concern we share is that if this event is taking place, including with a military parade, the concern is, is this really sending a message of reconciliation?” he said. In July, the European Union’s ambassador to China, Hans Dietmar Schweisgut, said he thought it was “unlikely” that top E.U. It is still unclear whether Britain will attend, or whether Europe will have a sizable showing of any sort. Embassy in Beijing, but Chinese officials did raise the issue in a general way. The United States has not received an official invitation, said Benjamin Weber, a spokesman for the U.S. View Graphic An illustrated guide to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings So far, only Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who recently held his own military parade, and a small clutch of other countries - including Mongolia, Egypt and the Czech Republic - have confirmed. Plus, attendees would be there as Chinese military vehicles roll through the site of the bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square - pretty much the opposite of a solid political photo op.įor most leaders, it seems, it hasn’t been an easy choice. Yet despite the official discourse, the display is “targeted at Japan at least to some extent,” said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University, both in terms of historical grievances and present-day disputes. The anniversary logo, for instance, features a V-shaped Great Wall flanked by five pigeons representing “five continents united and moving together towards a beautiful future.” “The guests who are there, versus the guests who do not come - that will be remembered.”īeijing insists that the event is about peace, not politics. Smith, author of “ Intimate Rivals: Japanese Domestic Politics and a Rising China” and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Xi, and in a way, a coming out party for China,” said Sheila A. Russia also held a parade on May 9 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the World Anti-Fascist War in Moscow's Red Square.But not going risks the displeasure of China, which sees the event as a chance to remind the world of both its wartime contributions and its rising international clout under President - and first-time national military parade host - Xi Jinping. France, Russia, and the United States are good examples of countries that do so.įrance invited top leaders of the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States and others to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Normandy Landing, a watershed battle in WWII. It is an international convention to hold a parade to mark the victory day. In 19, grand military parades were held to celebrate the country's 50th and 60th founding anniversary. It is the first parade not held on China's National DayĬhina has held 14 military parades since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. People watch the rehearsal of the parade on Aug 23 on Tian'anmen Square. Here are some facts about the parade before it starts: A parade marking the 70th anniversary of China's victory in World War II will be held in Tian'anmen Square on September 3, 2015, the first statutory "Victory Day of Chinese people's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression".Īs one of the allied forces who won WWII, China's first military parade to mark the victory day will attract the world's attention.
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