The US fears China’s rising military might. The military parade demonstrated that armed with non-nuclear warheads, ballistic and cruise missiles China now has the ability to attack a heavily defended enemy from a considerable distance, degrading the enemy's fighting ability before an invasion, neutralizing enemy air strength by knocking out airfields and even striking at naval vessels at sea.
About 12,000 servicemen as well as 500 units of military hardware and over 200 military aircraft took part in a military parade dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II that was held in Beijing, China on September 3.
The parade was the largest since 2009, when the Chinese Communist Party celebrated 60 years in power. Considering that China is a nation with a fast modernizing military, the events were watched closely by many, Stratfor reported.
China showed a large number of cruise and ballistic missiles during the parade, highlighting the scale of its expanded missile arsenal. The names of these missiles were written in non-Chinese characters, demonstrating that Beijing wanted to show the world its missile expertise.
There were also tanks, self-propelled artillery and other armored vehicles. A large number of fighter aircraft (including the J-15 carrier-based fighter) and helicopters flew overhead, Stratfor wrote.
Missiles that were previously closely secured were also shown, such as the DF-16 short-range ballistic missile, the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, the DF-10A land-attack cruise missile and the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Unlike the United States and Russia, China is not part of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The treaty forbids the deployment or development of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate ranges, defined as 500-5,500 kilometers (300-3,400 miles).
Therefore, the Chinese have been able to invest in the development and modernization of their intermediate-range cruise and ballistic missile inventory — a vital part of China's preparation for potential conflicts in its near seas, Stratfor reported.
