Monday 30 September 2019

After 70 Years of Communist Rule, Military Parade Brings Out The Big Guns

In 1989, this tank man defied the army. Image courtesy of Jeff Widener (The Associated Press), fair use doctrine.




Joel Kontinen

China will hold one of its biggest ever military parades on Tuesday as part of its celebrations for 70 years of Communist Party rule, and Beijing is promising to show off a host of new home-grown weaponry.

What equipment might we see on display, and why does China now have the second biggest military budget in the world?

In 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong announced the creation of the People’s Republic of China.

However, the fate of Chinese has not been all to prosper all sections of society. The Cultural Revolution brought despair to hundreds if not millions and, the communists sought to destroy Christianity.

Tiananmen Square some 30 years ago, when approximately 2,000 students lost their lives. Now, the effect is on Hong Kong, where students are protesting and where students are protesting, and China took down 1,200 crosses on churches.

Sources:

The day China became communist. BBC News (29 September).

Neill, Alex., 2019. China anniversary: Military parade brings out the big guns. BBC News (30 September).