After SCO summit: China’s grand military parade on Sept 3

ISLAMABAD: China will showcase its most advanced new-generation weaponry, including hypersonic missiles, sixth-generation fighter jets, unmanned intelligence and counter-unmanned systems, and fourth-generation tanks, in a massive military parade in Beijing on Sept 3.

The event marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The parade, expected to be attended by global leaders and senior military commanders, will follow the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit scheduled in Tianjin from August 31 to Sept 1. Among those anticipated at the parade are Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President Xi Jinping will preside over the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State and the SCO Plus Meeting, delivering keynote speeches on China’s vision for the bloc, global governance, and post-WWII international order. He is also expected to announce new cooperation initiatives, sign a joint declaration with SCO leaders, approve a 10-year development strategy.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also likely to hold bilateral meetings, including one with President Xi, on the sidelines of the summit.