In front of more than 50,000 spectators, and in the presence of foreign leaders including Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, China deployed during a gigantic parade its military force to send a clear message: it is no longer a question for Beijing to be dictated by his conduct. Traditional gray tunic at Col Mao, in a perfectly choreographed scene, Xi Jinping reviewed his troops on guard on the avenue of Eternal Peace.
“Comrades, thank you for your efforts”he launched several times since the sunroof of Chinese manufacturing limousine, before joining his hosts on the balcony of Place Tian’anmen, just above the giant portrait of Mao Zedong. “The Renaissance of the Chinese nation cannot be arrested”did he claim in a martial speech broadcast live on all television channels and in all schools in the country.
A missile capable of hitting the whole globe
This third large -scale military parade since coming to power in 2012 had everything of a break. For the occasion, the ultimate in Chinese military equipment has been deployed. Among the news was the DF-5C, an intercontinental ballistic missile with impressive measurements. “This missile is of very considerable importance, explains the military expert Shao Yongling in the Chinese daily life Global time. This new strategic intercontinental nuclear missile can strike the entire globe. »»
Two in-shaped in-form and impressive dimensions, the AJX002 and the HSU100 have also been presented as well as several latest generation weapons. But the highlight of the show was the appearance for the first time of the YJ missiles, abbreviation of Ying Ji – “Eagle attack” In Mandarin – including the YJ -19, the first hypersonic missile propulsion by statoreactor in the world. A weapon that could upset global strategic balance.
Unlike previous generations, the YJ-19 is based on an engine capable of supporting continuous propulsion which gives the missile an unrivaled speed and mobility. Light, fast and very long, it could change its trajectory in full flight, considerably complicating the task of American anti -missile defense systems installed in Europe and the Pacific. Message received 5 out of 5 in Taiwan, where this demonstration of force was broadcast live by most local televisions.
The same story in Moscow and Beijing
A missile capable of thwarting American anti -missile defenses calls into question the credibility of Washington’s commitment to defend Taipei in the event of an invasion. For Beijing, the highlighting of the YJ-19 during its military parade therefore constitutes less a parade than a warning: China now intends to compete with the United States and Russia in the most sensitive field of strategic deterrence.
“The memory of the war to legitimize a new world order”
The parade, organized to mark the 80th anniversary of Chinese victory over Japan during the Second World War, also had a political scope. The presence of the Russian president has highlighted the way in which China and Russia seek to align their historical stories, each presenting the Second World War as proof of the sacrifice of their people and as justification to demand a more important place in the international post-war order.
“For Xi as for Putin, victory was expensive, but unfinished. They believe that hegemonic forces still seek to impose a foreign model for them and to block the place that returns to them in the world, explains Joseph Torigian, associate professor at the American University. Today, they want to use the memory of war in order to immunize future generations against Western values and legitimize a new world order. »» A message that has not remained unanswered. Barely the ceremony started, President Trump reacted since Washington, accusing his Chinese counterpart of having ignored the role played by the United States in Aid to China during the conflict.
