The long-awaited “September 3 military parade” of the Chinese Communist Party has come to an end as scheduled. During the event, voices from various sectors of society expressed concerns different from the official announcements. In their eyes, the Chinese Communist Party is focusing too much on military display, wasting precious resources, and causing worries about the country’s future.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the Chinese Anti-Japanese War. Netizens have widely shared videos of the glorious achievements of the National Army in bloody battles, such as the Battle of Tai’erzhuang, as well as historical events like China’s participation in military parades as a victorious nation in 1946, and General Xu Yongchang of the Nationalist government signing the Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. Surprisingly, a video displaying “22 major battles during the Anti-Japanese War period” was flagged as “violating regulations and unable to play”.
Regarding the Communist Party’s periodic “lavish brainwashing” through grand military parades, the public is showing more concern about the country and disapproval of the wastefulness of resources by the Chinese government.
Behind the grand military parade lies enormous expenditures, including costs for personnel training, equipment development, venue renovations, international reception, media propaganda, and stability maintenance. According to information from Taiwan’s national security agency, this parade has cost at least 37 billion yuan, exceeding 100 billion New Taiwan Dollars.
Shen Youzhong, Deputy Minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, recently told the media that China is willing to spend over 150 billion New Taiwan Dollars on a military exercise while ignoring internal economic, labor, and social issues. “I don’t know how the Chinese people feel about this situation,” he said.
Many netizens commented, “It’s another Spring Festival Gala.” “Military parades do not showcase combat capability.” “There is no distinction between the Party and the State.” “This is not a military parade, but a display of expendable manpower; there is no combat effectiveness, only a demonstration of obedience and order.” “With a fascist posture, commemorating the anti-fascist…”
Moreover, many netizens have compared the military parades and military capabilities of China and the United States, believing that the US military parades are about memory, nostalgia, and history, while those of the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea are about authoritarianism, subjugation, and intimidation…
Mr. Lin from Shandong expressed to a media outlet that the current economy is poor, with a high rate of store closures. Local residents are discussing how young people lack job opportunities, and social conflicts are becoming more severe. The worry is for the country. How much money does a cannon cost in a military parade? How many people can be fed with the resources spent on these cannons? China’s resources have been depleted, mineral resources, non-ferrous metals, these are the foundation of the industry, the wealth of the nation, originally belonging to the 1.4 billion people, have all been stuffed into the pockets of the privileged few.
Some argue, “After Japan surrendered, how many more Chinese died? The Liberation War, the Korean War. The current ruling elites are descendants of the top echelons of the Communist Party, living in a world of luxury. If reform and opening up lead to polarization and vice, then it has failed.”
Mr. Zhang, a Chinese-Canadian student, stated that ten years ago, he used to be a nationalist supporter, but now he feels that the Communist Party’s military parades are pointless, merely a muscle-flexing display revealing their insecurity. Normal, free, and democratic countries would not engage in such actions.
“It’s not about the unity of the world’s people,” declared Mr. Zhang, “Xi, Kim, and Putin have formed a barbaric triangle. They are not only anti-American and anti-Western, but they are a threat to the entire civilized world. However, Xi’s health has deteriorated. Compared to the grand military parade of 2015, his physical and mental state and appearance have significantly declined,” he added.
A lawyer from mainland China, Mr. Wu, told the media outlet that he has no interest in the grand military parade, didn’t watch it and won’t watch it. In authoritarian countries, military displays are primarily for internal purposes, aimed at boosting the confidence of the populace. Spending such sums of money has no substance but serves primarily for psychological propaganda.
“Xi Jinping and Putin discussing organ transplants and living to be 150 years old is like a sudden black swan flying in, causing a great sensation throughout society. I’ve seen it circulating on domestic social media platforms,” he noted.
Chinese society is currently facing a severe economic crisis with an unprecedented unemployment rate. However, the Chinese Communist Party, disregarding the hardships of the people, continues to squander resources while strengthening its brainwashing and high-pressure control over the population.
Nonetheless, many people see through the military parade as nothing more than a tool of brainwashing propaganda, as they witness a different reality than what is intended.
A user named “Ma Ying” on X platform expressed, “The military parade resembles a giant performance where soldiers become props and weapons are set decorations. Xi stands on a vehicle waving, enjoying the applause and camera flashes, everything seeming like victory is right beneath his feet. Yet the orderly and majestic display on the square can’t bring meals to tables, nor alleviate the pressures of housing and prices. The so-called celebration is merely a self-congratulatory event for power: lively temporarily, but empty in substance.”
Another user “Qiao Zhifei” on X platform wrote, “They cheer for long guns, forgetting that the first pierced by such long guns would be their chests. The gleaming iron armor doesn’t represent glory but reflects the cold light of shackles. They raise flags and shout, unaware that they are the inmates covered by these flags… Clapping for the authoritarian military force is applauding one’s own chains. The military parade is not a shield for national defense but a sword of tyranny over the people. The more orderly the tanks on the square are, the more endless the path of the slaves…”
Qiao Zhifei believes that military parades are not about showcasing military strength but rather demonstrating the power of control over people. Soldiers are not warriors but mere tools lined up in grids. The most standardized march, the most hollow soul. The so-called soldiers here are nothing but dancers pleasing the dynasty… What seems to be commemorating history on the stage is in fact reviving the past sufferings into the present legitimacy. Such military parades fail to truly contemplate the cost of wars, let alone express the value of peace.
Human rights activist Xing Jian, who is currently visiting the US, described the military parade as “shameful.” He mentioned that the essence of the CCP’s military is not that of a national army but a party militia. Before the militarization of the military, all parades and martial displays are fundamentally highlighting loyalty to the regime. Every large-scale military parade consumes vast human resources, materials, and finances, benefiting no ordinary citizens, often worsening the hardships and disasters for the underprivileged.
Easily Fragile, a young person from Hong Kong, also expressed to the media outlet, “The September 3 military parade is nothing but a self-hypnosis and self-indulgence of fascists. After the end of World War II, future fascists will emerge under the guise of anti-fascism. The Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany but adopted high-pressure rule and created a regime of censorship internally. The Chinese Communist Party has no qualifications to celebrate the victory in the anti-fascist war because it is itself fascist.”