China has invited a host of world leaders to attend the parade on September 3, stated to be the largest to be held by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), displaying its modern weapons.
The parade is being held in Beijing soon after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which is scheduled for Aug 31 and Sept 1 in Tianjin city.
On Friday, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin told a media briefing here that 20 world leaders, besides 10 heads of international organisations, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, will attend the SCO plus summit.
But Beijing has not yet revealed how many leaders will stay back to attend the parade. Observers say Japan’s request could put several heads of state in a quandary.
PM Modi will visit Tianjin to participate in the SCO summit on August 31 and September 1 after his two-day visit to Japan.China is holding the Sept 3 parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark what it calls the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.China last held a wartime commemorative parade in 2015.China’s efforts to rope in leaders of several countries attending the SCO summit drew Japan’s ire, and Tokyo has reportedly urged the world leaders to carefully consider their participation in the parade.
Japanese news agency Kyodo reported Tuesday that Japan has conveyed to other nations through its embassies abroad that China’s commemorative events have anti-Japanese overtones, and that the participation of leaders should be carefully considered.
The Chinese foreign ministry has reacted angrily to Japanese calls to leaders of the countries by lodging a diplomatic protest with Japan.
China noted this and has lodged protests with Japan and asked for clarification, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing while replying to a question on Tokyo’s request to leaders of different countries.
The Chinese government will host commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War to remember history, honour the martyrs, cherish peace and usher in a brighter future, he said.
If Japan truly wants to turn this page on historical issues, it should face squarely and reflect on its history of aggression with sincerity, make a clean break with militarism, stick to the path of peaceful development, and respect the sentiments of people from China and other victim countries, so as to earn the trust of its Asian neighbours and the international community, he said.
On its part, Japan protested to China over videos ridiculing its wartime emperor Hirohito, according to a Kyodo report.
Japan has also protested to China over Beijing’s attempts to develop gas fields in the disputed East China Sea waters.
Reacting to Tokyo’s protest, Guo said China’s oil and gas exploration activities in the East China Sea are conducted in undisputed waters under China’s jurisdiction.
“The matter falls completely within China’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction. China doesn’t accept Japan’s groundless accusations and has refuted the so-called protests from the Japanese side,” Guo said.
