Special to WorldTribune.com

China showcased its increasing military might on Sept. 3 in a parade marking the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II.

The extravagant event included Beijing’s newest fighter jets, missiles, drones and helicopters in a carefully choreographed show of national strength and Communist Party unity at a time of growing economic uncertainty.

On display for the first time at the parade was the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, which many experts call a “carrier-killer” because it is designed specifically to target approaching U.S. aircraft carriers.

Also unveiled was the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, China’s first missile capable of striking a U.S. naval base in Guam with a conventional warhead from a launcher on the mainland.

Congressman Randy Forbes, a Virginia Republican who heads a House committee on sea power, said in a statement after the parade: “It seems significant that while the United States marked the end of the war with a solemn ceremony, China chose to showcase its growing military might and the new weapons it has built to menace its neighbors. It seems increasingly clear that China intends to undermine the post-1945 order that has brought peace and prosperity to Asia.”

“The parade helps bolster (President) Xi Jinping’s prestige as the commander in chief and a global statesman, as well as boost national pride,” said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. “It reinforces the notion that a rising China has become a major player on the global arena. It also serves to shore up morale and confidence in China’s armed forces.”

Experts said the parade also cast a spotlight on China’s deepening divisions with the U.S. and its allies as not one major Western nation sent its leaders or troops to an event that appeared to be aimed at discrediting modern-day Japan and spotlighting Beijing’s growing military capabilities and ambitions.

“We Chinese love peace,” Xi said from a stand atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace, overlooking Tiananmen Square. “No matter how much stronger it may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion. It will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation.”

Pentagon officials said on Sept. 2 that five Chinese navy ships were operating off the coast of Alaska, where President Barack Obama has been visiting this week and where such activity hadn’t been seen before. It has since been confirmed that the ships entered  U.S. territorial waters.

Xi did announce cuts of some 300,000 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel, but many Western officials and analysts said the display of weaponry at the parade — including aircraft-carrier-based fighter jets and missiles they believe are designed to prevent the U.S. from intervening in a conflict in Asia — that defined the event.

“Displaying cutting-edge military hardware and announcing personnel cuts is not really a contradiction,” said Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at the Australian National University. “In fact, it’s consistent — human waves of infantry are not going to win the next war in Asia. Thinning the ranks of low-skilled soldiers will free up resources for high-tech capabilities like cyber and hypersonic missiles, and of course naval modernization.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe didn’t attend. “We have conveyed to China our position that we would like it to adopt a future-oriented stance instead of placing a spotlight on the past,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Sept. 4.

Xi thanked all countries that fought with China in World War II and welcomed those attending the parade, which he said was to “bear history in mind, honor all those who laid down their lives, cherish peace and open up the future.”

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