Foot formations featuring the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s new military structure of services and arms marched through Beijing's Tian'anmen Square in a grand military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
The foot formations are composed of a total of 13 formations including guard of honor, four services and four arms, armed police force, reserve service forces, militia, and peacekeepers.
The PLA's new structure of services and arms passed through Tian'anmen Square following the formation of guard of honor. It was the first time the new military structure to appear in a military parade.
The new structure, comprising four services of the Ground Force, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Rocket Force, as well as four arms of the Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force, the Information Support Force, and the Joint Logistics Support Force, was formally established in 2024 as part of President Xi Jinping's military reform plan.
Three of the four arms, the Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force and the Information Support Force, made their debut in the military parade through the Tian'anmen Square.
The 70-minute parade consists of two parts, a military review by President Xi and a march-past of troops.
A total of 45 formations and echelons joined the grand parade.
The parade is organized under a wartime command system, and involves thousands of troops, over 100 aircraft and hundreds of ground armaments.
Japan officially surrendered on Sept 2, 1945, by signing the Instrument of Surrender. China has designated Sept 3 as Victory Day.
The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the first to break out and lasted the longest in the World Anti-Fascist War, resulting in over 35 million Chinese military and civilian casualties from 1931 to 1945.
Foot formations featuring PLA's new military structure pass through Tian'anmen Square in V-Day military parade
