Cuban troops will join parade in Beijing marking end of WW2
A Cuban military unit numbering 75 men will take part in a massive parade on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, marking the 70th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan, the Chinese press agency Xinhua reported Tuesday (Aug. 25.) The agency did not specify which unit.
High-ranking government officials from Cuba, Venezuela and Argentina will represent Latin America at the celebration, said a spokesman for the State Council of China without identifying them by name.
Xinhua did not say whether Venezuelan or Argentine troops would participate in the parade.
Presidents who have confirmed their presence include Vladimir Putin of Russia, Park Geun-hye of South Korea, Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan, Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic, and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus. The presidents of the United States, Japan and North Korea declined China’s invitation.
Other nations to be represented by government officials include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan, Serbia, South Africa, Czech Republic, Poland, and Egypt.
Twelve thousand troops, 500 armament vehicles and 200 aircraft in 10 formations will participate in the huge military event, for which rehearsals have been held for months.
There will be 11 foot phalanxes, 27 armament phalanxes, ten echelon formations of aircraft and two teams of veterans, many of whom are over 90 years old, said Maj. Gen. Qu Rui, deputy chief of Operations at the General Staff Headquarters of the Chinese Army.
Over 80 percent of the armaments in the parade have never been seen by the public before, Qu said at a press briefing.
Japan invaded northeast China in September 1931. The full-scale invasion began on July 7, 1937, when a bridge that acted as a crucial access point to Beijing was attacked.
After the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, that country signed its formal surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, and China celebrated its victory the following day. In the U.S., Sept. 2 is celebrated as VJ Day, VJ meaning Victory over Japan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to Washington in late September. No details have been released, except that he will speak at the United Nations in New York City on Sept. 28.
Xi visited Cuba in July 2014 and met with brothers Raúl and Fidel Castro.
[Pictures are of rehearsal in Beijing for the Tiananmen Square Parade.]
